


Alpha and Omega

by FirebatRay



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fallout (Video Games) Setting, Gen, Post-Apocalypse, The Animus (Assassin's Creed), War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 62,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23277328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirebatRay/pseuds/FirebatRay
Summary: The world is almost at its breaking point. Governments and Companies mask their greed under a veil of lies. We are all that stands in the coming destruction. The world must be made anew if the Earth is to survive... We are Vault-Tec and we are the protectors of this world...
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

2050:

"Colleagues and distinguished guests; we are on the brink of utter destruction. The world as we know it is reaching a point in time where we will cease to exist. Humanity has scarred the earth for too long, and there will be nothing left of us, when the earth finally consumes us."

Alec Oppenheim, the 34 year-old tycoon who gained stocks in Vault-Tec through his latest invention; the RadAway, further known as the Alpha and Omega of Vault-Tec, opened his lecture on the latest project that the corporation was intending to create. The charismatic genius built his empire on his wit in trading, science, and medical skills; solidifying the corporation with his perception, endurance, and although he hates to admit it, a hefty amount of luck.

"We have lavish accommodations that can easily surpass, the projected centuries of nuclear winter. Sustaining people through the nuclear energy stored in our reactors, deep within the ground, it is safe to say that life can flourish as the world intends to re-start itself."

The loud applause of the convinced crowd was evidence enough to see that they loved the pitch. Alec revelled in the glory of his successful endeavour, and as he left the stage, all the people could see was an iconic smile, captivating even the sturdiest of men. Four years later began Project: Safehouse.

Between that time however, in the deep recesses of the RobCo headquarters, the selected executives met in a soundproof room, enclosed from all other forms of life or devices. In the dark light of the room, a single table stood, surrounded by the highest executives from the two international corporations. Again, Alec spoke.

"My friends, it is time. The world as we know it is spiraling into a flurry of chaos. Mayhem is in the streets. Power is with the rich. There is nothing left for our fellow man to feed on, and people have been fighting over resources that no longer will be relevant in the years to come. There is nothing left for humanity here. There is nothing left for us.

"I have gathered you all here to this secret summit to propose a solution. We shall keep our most prized possession, our humanity, safe. We shall lock it away from the face of the earth. We shall save the human race. There is a chance, and now is the time to take it.

"Governments will do no good for us. They are too self-absorbed in their own follies that they do not see what is becoming of our very home. Our planet is dying, and they have done nothing to stop it. It is up to us, the private entities, to prevail over the lost cause that is the law, and emancipate ourselves from the falsehoods of our time.

"We will not be the weakest link in the chain. We will not be the ones who stood idly by as the world consumed itself in its own greed. I implore you, my colleagues, my brothers in humanity, to not let this opportunity slip our grasp.

"I realize now that the time is upon us, to create these places, these safe-spaces with which we shall hide ourselves, and other like-minded individuals. We cannot allow the destruction to corrupt what is left of the beauty that is the world, and the very existence that we hold ourselves accountable for.

"Project: Safehouse is to be launched, but we cannot trust them. They are the government, and their greed overpowers their vision for saving the human race. They have blinded themselves to the facts. They refuse to see. As much as it burdens me to know this, they are not to be trusted. Furthermore, it burdens me to know that we cannot abide by the simplistic nature of their project. We cannot follow their ideals and bring it to the next world with us.

"Instead we shall create our own plan. We shall create our own project, to be launched simultaneously with theirs. We just cannot let them know of it; at all costs. We are doing this to save the earth and the human race, not for money, not for greed, not for anything else. So, if anyone wishes to wash their hands clean of this proposal and this plan, please do so now.

"There is an exit to your left, and I will personally see you out. Thank you for taking the time to be with us and for the contribution you have made to this group. Please accept our deepest apologies, if we do not come into terms."

Out of the 15 executives, there were 7 who stood up, and proceeded to the door. Alec initiated by shaking the hands of all those present, beginning with those who sat down, and ending with those who stood up.

"We are sorry you do not wish to partake in this. We need no explanation, just your vow of silence and a firm shake of your hand."

Alec shook the hands of each of the 7 executives, as he walked them into the next room. Those who remained eased themselves into their chairs, lighting up cigarettes and pouring their drinks. Nobody flinched as the sound of fully automatic gunfire erupted from the next room. Although soundproof, the vibrations echoed through the doorway, as Alec returned to the room. The projector flipped to the next side, as Alec returned to his place at the head of the table. Alec placed the MP5 sub-machinegun on the table before him, the barrel still smoking from the heat.

"So, let's proceed."

2311:

_The op started out normal… Other than Dallas' constant complaints about the place and weather, there wasn't really much to report at the beginning._

_In fact, I think the newly woven shemagh she wore for the op was more interesting than the state itself…_

"Testing. Testing. Do you read me, Dallas?"

"I read ya loud and clear, Vivian"

"Alright. I guess the signal's good even from here"

"No shit. Never thought that old radio could reach as far as Washington State"

"So how's Washington State? Please tell me it's a good place to take a vacation"

"I don't think you'd like it here… Fucking place is as barren as the Mojave and it's the middle of December. To top it all off, these… snow storms are annoying as hell"

"Huh… To think even after more than 200 years, you'd think the state of the area would have improved…"

"So what's the sitrep?"

"Well… I'm currently in a cave taking shelter from the snow storm. God… I swear these storms are too frequent!"

"How long have you been there?"

"About an hour or so… Wait… Looks like the storm's clearing. I'm gonna resume my search. Dallas out"

_After that, Dallas didn't report back until about half an hour later… it was the last series of transmissions I got from her before 'it' happened…_

"Vivian. This is Dallas. Do you read me?"

"I got you, loud and clear, Dallas. What's up?"

"I found a Vault door, cleverly camouflaged too… I'm going in"

"Wait, Dallas. You sure? You don't know what to expect in there"

"Don't worry about me… I can handle whatever's in there"

_I guess she opened the vault door from there since I heard the familiar alarm you hear when opening one…_

_I didn't know it yet but I had this feeling that something was wrong with the vault…_

"Dallas… I really think we should contact Ellie or Polonsky first. Washington State was one of the first places to be hit during the war and they were hit hard… So finding an intact vault is a bit suspicious…"

"Don't worry about me. I can hold my own just as well as those two"

"But…"

"Alright. I'm going in!"

"Dallas… Hey Dallas!"

"Sorry you're breaking up… I can't hear you"

"Dallas! Alright fine! But at least maintain radio contact"

"That's the spirit!"

_Dallas entered the vault… The signal was warping but I managed to talk to her from time to time…_

"Dallas… Come in, Dallas"

"Dallas here"

"Oh good… So what's inside?"

"The vault's pretty intact… It doesn't even look like a single object was touched… It's almost as if none of the original occupants made it here…"

"Well I did tell you that Washington State was one of the first places to be hit…"

"Yeah… no shit…"

"Anything interesting?"

"Other than the surprisingly clean and preserved pre-war theme of this vault, nothing really comes to mind… Wait. Vivian. I think I found something"

"What?"

"I stumbled upon what looks like a meeting room… Still intact, ash trays and wine glasses on the table… Looks untouched but these cigarette butts look recent…"

"Shit, Dallas. I got a bad feeling about this… Maybe you should get outta there and wait for backup"

"Wait. I found a file… Bingo! It's a Vault-Tec file! Classified too!"

_It looked like Dallas stumbled on an important find. I kept on telling her to get outta there but she didn't listen to me…_

"Dallas! I think you should get outta there first!"

"Wait… I need to make sure this file's what we're looking for"

"We can do that back at base camp! Come on, Dallas. There's something not right with that place"

"The place is deserted… Don't worry too much, Vivian. Besides, you'll get wrinkles if you keep on worrying like that"

"Dallas!"

"Fine. Fine. I'll go back to base camp…"

_That was when I heard the two gunshots…_

"Dallas?! Shit! Dallas! Are you ok?! Dallas!"

"Gah… Motherfucker!"

_Based on the sounds, I think she returned fire. But in the end… it was useless… I heard about 4 more shots before the shooting stopped._

"Dallas! Dallas! Dallas! Fucking shit! DALLAS!"

_That was when, I heard someone else answer the radio. Based on his tone, I'd say he's a man in his 50s..._

"Hello? You should have knocked first. Didn't you know that in this state, I can lawfully kill any trespassers that enter my property?"

"Shit!"

"Kids these days… Don't know anything about discipline or respect…"

_I then heard several shots… That was when I lost the signal…_

_Shit… If only I could have… Damn…_

_It's not your fault, Vivian… You couldn't have done anything…_

_But, Ellie…_

_What's done is done. All we can do now is deal with it… Dallas was a horrible loss… I know, she's one of the people who helped me reached who I am now… But at least, we've confirmed some of our suspicions… Vault-Tec has a presence in Washington State._

_Contact Alexander and Polonsky, we move for Washington State as soon as possible! We can't allow those slimy bastards to run!_


	2. The road to the 'end'

2050:

"Kingsman. What is your report?"

"The ASEAN leaders are meeting for a summit in Mumbai, India"

"The topic?"

"Their stand with the situation in the Middle East. They, too, are feeling the brunt of the Arabian countries' hoarding"

"Very good, Kingsman. We will notify MI5. Continue to observe the leaders. Give us live updates on the meeting so we can enact the operation if needed"

"Yes ma'am"

"Good luck, Kingsman. For Queen and Country"

"For Queen and Country"

_The next day:_

"Command this is Kingsman"

"Command copies. What's the status on the summit?"

"The leaders are starting to arrive. The meeting should undergo in a few minutes"

"Copy. Maintain cover and activate the recorder. We need evidence if ever the meeting does not go in our favor"

"Establishing surveillance…"

"Copy that, Kingsman. We have a clear signal. Begin transmission"

"Transmitting now"

"Signal is good, Kingsman. We have clear audio and visual of the meeting"

* * *

_The recording starts with the Indian representative standing up and saying his piece as he ends with:_

"All I'm saying is that we can't depend on the West forever! We have to make a stand!"

"The Philippines has been the West's ally until recently and we can attest that with recent events, we were virtually left to rot"

"But going against the West may prove to be a difficult task. They have sophisticated tactics and weaponry. Besides, what do we stand to gain from defending these Arabs?"

"I assure you, Prime Minister Tokugawa, my contacts in the Middle East have promised to provide the 'scarce' oil to our countries should we choose to help them maintain their independence from Europe"

"Spoken like a businessman… How can these countries provide all the members of ASEAN the one resource that is slowly running dry?"

"Our contacts within the Middle Eastern countries have confirmed that the 'scarcity' of these resources was a farce to increase oil prices in the global market"

"So this is just another case of a store hoarding a demanded resource until prices went up"

"Exactly. So if we help these countries, we will be spared of the price hike"

"What of NATO and the European Commonwealth? Surely they won't just stand quietly and let us do what we want. And if they do decide to attack, we may not be able to last long in a war against them"

"The Soviet Union has pledged its support for the Middle Eastern countries. With them on our side, we can hold our ground against NATO and the Commonwealth"

"You do have a point…"

* * *

"Kingsman"

"Yes ma'am?"

"It seems our suspicions were right. We just sent word to MI5 and the parliament. Be ready to move at any time"

"Understood"

_A few minutes later:_

"Kingsman. We have authorization. Commence with Operation Tea Party. None of those leaders must leave that room alive"

"At once"

"Neutralize the servers and lace their drinks with the poison"

_Kingsman then moved to the kitchen where he brought out his silenced M9 and shot everyone in the head, one bullet each._

_After stuffing the bodies in the freezer and stealing one of the server's clothes, Kingsman begins to pour a powdery substance into the pitcher_

_A few minutes later, the agent emerges from the kitchen, carrying the pitcher and pours the poisoned drink to the leaders._

_As the leaders were about to drink, someone bursts from the kitchen's double doors_

"The entire staff has been murdered!"

"What?!" the Indian representative said as he stood up

"Hey!" the Malaysian representative said as his companion chokes and dies "The drinks! The drinks are poisoned!"

_As the leaders realized what had happened, Kingsman brings out his M9 and shoots 3 representatives in the head as the rest of the leaders scramble._

_Security arrives rather quickly and with his cover blown, Kingsman makes a break for it as security personnel open fire upon the agent, who returns fire a couple of times._

_Breaking through a second floor window, Kingsman escapes through the slums and alleyways._

_He eventually reaches a Cliffside, having evaded his pursuers._

"Command, this is Kingsman. Operation Tea Party was partly successful with about 4 confirmed kills"

"We copy, Kingsman. Initiate Ghost protocol"

"Understood"

_As Kingsman turns around, he sees a familiar face a short distance from him_

"Command. My flight might be a little bit delayed…"

"That man… is the Indian representative of the summit."

"What?"

_Shocked by revelation, Kingsman quickly grabbed his M9 and fires several shots, which were easily dodged by his target._

_With amazing speed and flexibility, his target manages to quickly get into melee range._

_Kingsman then decided to fight using hand-to-hand combat. However, his target has also displayed exceptional skill as well._

_In less than 3 minutes, Kingsman's target manages to break both of the agent's arms._

_On his knees, the agent could only stare at his adversary, who was grinning confidently._

_He then kneels down, grabs the agent's dropped M9 and removes the suppressor._

"So you're the spy…"

_His adversary then cocks the pistol and aims it at the agent's heart, right next to the camera_

"Tell your bosses at MI5. 'The Alpha sends his regards'"

_The camera is then smeared with the agent's blood as several shots ring through the transmission_

"Kingsman… Notify MI5 and the parliament. We may have a war on our hands…"

* * *

2052

Alec opened the door to his new penthouse suite and main office, at the pinnacle of the largest Vault Tec building, in Washington State. As he basked in the air-conditioned room, he looked and observed the new surroundings of his home. There was not much to be found except the dossier that lay flatly on his living room coffee table.

He picked up a cup of coffee from the dispenser by the side of the elevator door, and then proceeded to read the file. He smiled as the file had the individual letters of acceptance for his proposal. Each army in the Middle East and South East Asia, had just pledged to purchase the latest product of the RobCo and Vault Tec companies. Included were the eight-figure payments that each country had pledged for the state of the art weaponry that had just been developed.

"Laser weapons. Plasma weapons." He scoffed as he put down the dossier and stared out into the city streets below. He clicked the remote and out of the speakers came the upbeat jazz sounds of Julie London.

"Soon, there will be no standing army left to defend the world. Even sooner still, my queen shall join me in managing this empire that will change the surface of the earth. No more wars, no more fighting, all united under the mandate of Vault Tec. No more suffering at the hands of men with guns. No more suffering at the hands of greed. The world will cleanse itself, and upon the spotless surface, we shall build a new world; the perfect world. There is no more room for error. Project Safehouse shall take effect and only a true race, a master race, shall exist. Science will no longer be the means to destroy the world, but to recreate it in the image of a better tomorrow. I only wish it could happen sooner."

The future was looking bright as the hum of the elevator brought up Eva, his young secretary, and also his fiancé.

"The European Commonwealth will meet you in two days. The summit is in Spain. It'll take us a day to travel there by vertibird. We leave at 10am."

"Good. Till' then, however, let's get ourselves something nice to celebrate our success."

"What's on the menu?"

"Well, for starters; you." Alec replied as he grabbed her by the shoulders, whisking her into the room. He kissed her torridly as he carried her into the master bedroom, grabbing her thighs as he propped her upon the bed. As the sounds mellowed into a heavy jazz, Alec dimmed the lights, undoing his tie and suit. She slipped out of her dress, revealing herself, as he pounced upon her, smothering her bare body with kisses. She responded with sighs of pleasure as he reached into her skirt, tenderly caressing her with his vacant arm and kisses. He made passionate love to her, and she reciprocated with all the love her young soul could muster. The night progressed from there and as the dawn approached, he kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He whispered to her as he readied his things for the summit.

* * *

The people at the summit waited in silence as Alec prepared himself upon the podium of the stage. He calmly flicked on the projector, revealing the plans for the new laser weapons that he would distribute to them, should they accept.

"Greetings friends, comrades, allies, and colleagues.

"You are all at the brink of war. There is no denying this. The Middle East has refused you the necessary crude oil that the world relies on for the production of so many things. The greed that they have is immeasurable, and it is unfair that they do not share their gift with the world that is in dire need of this resource. The only truth available to us is the fact that we need to achieve a lasting victory such that all countries can be supplied with this valuable resource. There is no doubt in our minds, that this conflict will require a hefty load upon your collective countries, and there is no presumable other way about it.

"That however, is where you are all wrong. Lasting victory can be achieved! Introducing the Laser Rifle Mark 2, and the Plasma Rifle Mark 2.

"Taking parts from the LR Mark 1, the improved version is outfitted with single use battery cartridge that allows for more efficient power consumption, and for an UltraFocus laser. It even has a detachable rail-system that allows for the attachment of more than one accessory. Gone are the days when the rifle itself had to be brought an Energy Cell or Microfusion Cell. This model can now handle long periods of time without having to reload! Another added feature is the rifle's capacity to have a fully automatic function, as fast as the mini-gun, or even faster! This allows for longer periods of covering fire and a wide array of functions, such as the capacity to have a fully automatic long-range rifle, ready to eliminate enemies from nearly a mile away, without the possibility of detection due to noise or visibility, as the UltraFocus beams have now been concentrated enough to directly hit a 9mm target from a mile away in less than a tenth of a second. The only time that the shot will be visible is for that minute moment, and no trace will be left! Surely, this will aid in the lasting victory that we all strive so hard to achieve!

"The Plasma Rifle Mark 2 also has a few upgrades! There will no longer be a need for replacing its cells, because with this new innovation, we have been able to create a miniscule Fusion Core reactor, built into the housing of the machine! There will no longer be a need to re-load in mid combat, but rather merely a pacing of shots, such that the reactor will not overload itself! The uranium within the reactor can last up to 50 years without having the need to be replaced. Long missions will no longer be an issue. Furthermore, we reduced the size of the PM Mark 2, such that we have even come up with a short and long version, the Mark 2, and Mark 2 Mini! No need for single handed pistol manipulation to make your troopers faster. The Mark 2 Mini, small enough to be packed into a briefcase, comes with a folding stock, allowing even smaller profiles to handle the weapon. Not to worry as well, the metal we used has a lead infusion that prevents any residual radiation from escaping, making the weapon completely storable and even serviceable for years on end with no risk of damage to the user!

"These weapons are the future of combat! No need for any more metal work to raise costs and waste resources. Self-sufficiency is the key to the lasting victory, and by God, we will achieve it!" As the leaders applauded the pitch, each country's army signed the contracts, pushing Vault Tec and RobCo towards the top of the market value. It was an unbridled success, and every standing army, except that of the USA, had accepted the weapons as their standard issue, and further began to turn the cogs of war. Even civilians were able to buy the lesser versions of these weapons, after VaultTec and RobCo opened their market to the private sectors in the months to follow.

* * *

2060 - Early 2077

By the 2060's the EC had obliterated the Middle East. With the lack of oil resources and with the death of several representatives of the South East Asian countries, they then decided to take the war to the EC directly, seizing the opportunity to strike as the EC fought amongst themselves as to where to get new oil resources. The European countries fought each other, between two main factions, one of which wanted to invade other countries of the world for oil, whilst the other wanted to proceed to change and adapt to a world where they would no longer need crude oil. Out of their humanitarian nature, the countries that wanted to change, decided to aid the South East Asian countries in their invasion of the remaining oil-hungry countries of the EC.

The war ravaged all the other continents, however, as the demand for oil was still high. The war progressed for years, spilling over into battles in the countries in Africa as the world crumbled and scavenged for oil, as if the countries were junkies scrambling over the last bit of heroin the world will ever see again. It was frantic, frustrating, and bloody. The war had killed over 3.5 billion people, greatly jarring the world's capacity to function. There was a mass overstock of goods, while still having a starvation in oil. This resulted in more deaths, as almost no mechanical transportation service was left available. Some areas became so distant, that it starved people to death having no source of food, power, and other resources. The war continued, however, to ravage on, as the people fought for the last known supply of oil in the world, bringing the conflict to many other countries that were also inherently affected by the sparse oil resources. Machines could barely function, and the people who were once so settled and dependent on the technology to survive, had begun to wither and die away. It was a massive plague-like disaster that even rendered the USA, who had finally decided to sit this one war out because of their Alaskan oil reserves, with a massive loss of population due to lack of resources reaching their areas. Further disasters like storms had also aided in the ravaging of the human race, reducing the amount of people in the world to mere millions.

As the war progressed and turned all over the globe, reaching even the Arctic, Antarctic, and Oceanic countries, damaging the world, Alec Openheim married Eva in the safety of the USA. They lived a quiet life, until Alec revealed the true nature of Project Safehouse, which involved a hefty amount of social experimentation, to her. Appalled by his sentiments towards the world and his secret plans for it, she first attempted to persuade him to stop. She knew there was goodness in his heart and that the intent was simply different from the actions that he had decided to take. Over the course of a year, from 2064 to 2065, she had continuously tried. Seeing no point and no further future with him, she decided that it was time she took a stand. It was her or the world. It was then that she had no choice but to leave him, despite her love for him. Over time, however, her love had faded, realizing that Alec was mad. She opened herself once more to new people and found her peace with the issue, focusing more on stopping Alec's plans, rather than stopping Alec himself.

Two years later, she re-married a CIA agent, callsign Raven, who she helped investigate Vault Tec and RobCo's activities throughout the war in the Middle East, which had spread around the world. She lived quietly after handing over all the information she could find. They had a daughter, Araw, who grew up under their loving care. For years, Eva and her daughter hid away from the restlessness of the world, as Alec puppeteer his plans through the entire fiasco of this last world war, with Raven attempting to foil those plans at every step. The CIA, having some RobCo and Vault Tec employees covertly hiding within the organizations, covered up for Alec until they were caught in Anchorage, Alaska early 2075, proving to have prompted the conflict between China and the USA. The employees, however, were never able to aid in proving Alec guilty, as they committed suicide before they could even be brought to an investigation.

In lieu of this, Raven had asked Eva and her daughter to move further up north into Canada. The move was scheduled in early 2077, and as Eva had begun packing her things. The week before the actual move, Alec called her to meet him at his penthouse suite, saying that there was something important about the plan that she had to know about. In an effort to win her back, he told her everything, from the schedules to the sequence of events, even up to the last gritty detail that would have compromised him. Eva, however, had called Raven, offering to aid in his investigation prior to their meeting. She was outfitted with a wiretap microphone such that Raven could listen in and provide evidence enough for Alec's arrest.

* * *

Early 2077

"You can't fucking do this, Alec! I've told you before, this is insane! You're fucking insane for choosing this over me. I cannot deal with this anymore. It's done. It's over. Fuck you! I'm sick of your bullshit. I knew something was wrong with you asking me up here, you sick fuck. I've already told the government of your plans, and my husband has found proof. There's no way you can finish this." Eva said, her eyes burning with hatred for Alec. She deliberately didn't mention her intent to move to Canada, such that Alec wouldn't return for her, should things get out of hand.

"I'm ushering the new age, Eva. I've merely called you to be a part of it. To be a part of me. You can either join me, or leave it and die. Nothing else. No one can stop me, not even the government. I will have my way, with you and the world. YOU WILL marry me again, and WE WILL be the ones to usher this future in." Alec sternly said, drinking his scotch.

"You think you'd have your way this time. Ha-ha! That's laughable. What can a single corporation do against an entire government entity, with all its forces, armies and whatnots. You'll be stopped, and you will fail. They will get you, Alec. Just like how you failed to make me come. You will never be half the man my husband or any of those soldiers will ever be. I guarantee it." Eva said, flipping the middle finger towards Alec as the elevator doors closed, cutting her from his life entirely. The evidence had finally proven Alec's guilt once and for all. She reported the news to Raven, who was standing by, ready to find proof of Alec's intentions enough to mount up an assault on Alec's place. It was enough, and the CIA approved the assault for the following morning, which would have been Raven's last mission. That same morning Eva and her daughter left for Canada, to wait for Raven to return to them. Meanwhile, Alec was left alone in his penthouse suite.

"Heh, stupid bitch. She'll come around. The only reason she's alive is because I love her." Alec said to himself, as he walked over towards the dinner table to finish his meal. He sat quietly, eating his steak as his eyes let out tiny droplets of water. He stared at the ring she had left on the table, wondering if he had made a mistake. It was her ring, the same one she left years ago. He couldn't comprehend why she couldn't simply accept his love. It was all he had to offer.

He knew he couldn't be. He wasn't the only one who saw this future. It was his dream, and she couldn't handle it. It was within grasp, and he was so close to achieving it. He could do it, and he believed he could. Not even the governments could stop him. No one could. It would have been too late.

Maybe she could. He loved her more than the world.

He wiped his lips upon finishing the steak. He picked up her ring and wore it on his pinky finger. He stared down at the street, hoping she would come rushing back, realizing that he simply wanted a bright future for their children. It was all for them, as well, not just the world. She had become his world, but he knew that no matter how much he loved her, the real world was worth saving over a marriage to a woman who had already left him for another man. It was the sacrifice that he knew he had to make, and like all things, he knew that once more he would not realize that he loved her more than the world until it would be too late. Hopefully, this would be the last time that she leaves him.

Alec returned to the manufacturing plant, later that night, and spoke with those who were at the meeting, 8 years earlier. The same office with the same people now listened intently as Alec finally revealed the pinnacle of the plans. There was no other word spoken that night apart from the few that Alec had shared with the group. A small box was placed at the centre of the board member's table, covered with a single white cloth. None of the group dared speak or touch it, knowing full well what it was.

"My friends, tonight, I unveil the masterpiece of our creation. We will usher forth the new era of peace with this simple device. This marks the second phase of Project Safehouse, where we will cleanse the world, and rid it of the malice that taints its existence." Alec said as he unveiled a single key-turn switch.

On the other side of town, Raven readied his men as they rode their vertibird over towards Alec's penthouse building. The ground team listened in as well on their radios as they drove to the site in their trucks. He briefed them;

"We all know what Alec Oppenheim has done and what he is capable of! Don't get careless. The man is protected by a private army. We have to catch this bastard tonight before he can detonate all of our laser weapons. Gentlemen. If we succeed tonight, we just saved the world from utter destruction. Good luck and may God bless us all" Raven said.

"This is the one switch that will lead us all to victory. Our private army, specifically created for this task, now armed with the latest in standard firearm weaponry, is currently fully functional, fully furbished, and ready to cleanse the world. All we have to do is wait and watch as the countries destroy each other, leaving us with the only notable force left in the world. To ensure this, however, my colleagues, is this device that sits before us." Alec said as he propped his glass of scotch upon the table." Alec stated, clearly in the silence of the meeting room.

Raven's ground team stormed the building, taking out the guards on every floor, surgically eliminating all opposition from the ground up. The sound of laser weapons and classic firearms filled the halls, sent people screaming, and the crowd fled the structure in fear. Only a handful of loyalists and those who bore Alec's mark stood their ground to the death.

"This device, with a simple key-turn, will mark the bloodiest of all battles, won within a single minute. History will remember us, and remember this day, I'm sure. This switch will activate the overrides on every single weapon we have developed and sold to all the world's standing armies except our own, which we, evidently will deal with differently. This will completely obliterate all other forces, leaving blood in the wake." Alec marvelled at his creation, as the members of the meeting stood in disbelief, as they witnessed the culmination of their plans in the confines of a small electronic device.

On the upper floor, the vertibird team, led by Raven, began to kick down the doors of Alec's rooftop exit. They threw their stun grenades and slowly breached the interior of the suite, checking room to room, working their way towards the elevator, where the ground team was tasked to meet them.

"Our own country, we have dealt with ourselves. Most of our covert employees, our very own Children of the Atom, marked with our insignia, are already in place, ready to overload all the nuclear reactors, launch all the missiles, and cleanse everything within our country. The same is true for the other countries that are currently warring. Each government has been outfitted with a small regiment of our Children of the Atom, ready to sacrifice themselves for our great cause. The Chinese hindrance of Alaska has merely thrown our plans off by ten years, allowing for a better ushering of the new era. Soon, the nuclear power we so deeply rely on will bring about the new clean future." Alec continued.

Raven began breaching every room, kicking down each door with more force than the next. Thoughts in his mind raced as they pushed through the living room clearing. The small tinge of worry poisoned his head as they approached the last room. He set up his men ready to breach. The ground team updated that they were already reaching the top floor in minutes. This was the last hiding place for Alec, and he was ready to deal the swift metal of justice that was years overdue.

"All our previously sold weapons are fit to explode when this signal is transmitted, leaving no soldier within its vicinity alive. Having a blast radius of 1kilometer per Plasma weapon and 500meters per Laser weapon, no matter how thinly spread an army is, there will be casualties. No army can survive this, and in turn, all these countries will be forced to subject the world to the nuclear cleansing we are so close to achieving."

"Alec! I know you're in there! Open the goddamn door! We have the place surrounded! Surrender peacefully! ALEC!" Raven screamed at the walls, but the vibrations were met with a deathly silence. The room was soundproofed. He knew that if they were to move in and Alec was in there, there would be a high chance that they would be met with a large amount of laser or plasma gunfire. He would lose a lot of men, yet his mind was solid. It was Alec, or the world.

"Their last recourse, nuclear warheads, will be the final straw that breaks the camel's back. It shall cleanse the world, and all that will remain will be our Vaults and those who dwell inside them. The science teams have already drafted and are building up the Vaults as I speak, outfitting them with social experiments to weed out the weak, leaving humanity with a strong master-race of individuals, capable of ushering the new future."

The ground team joins Raven's airborne squad by the last door. There was no choice left. Eighteen men, all ready to die for the sake of their loved ones; ready to pay the ultimate price to keep the world safe. There was no higher honour, Raven thought, as he nodded, signalling his men to breach down the door. The door flew towards the adjacent wall as the first lieutenant kicked it in, unleashing the river of bodies that flooded the room with lights, stun grenades, and loaded weapons.

"And all of us will fade into oblivion, with the only comfort being that we were the ones who saved the world. See you on the other side, my friends." Alec spoke calmly in the safety of their secret meeting room, miles underground, away from his penthouse suite.

"The room is empty, sir." Raven's lieutenant reported, prompting all the men to lower their Laser Rifles. Raven stood for a second, gripping his customized Glock 19, realizing that all his men had a laser weapon.

Alec turned the key...

* * *

2312:

_We are no longer looking for the Sun… I know it was our original purpose but centuries of fruitless searches have taken their toll on our people in the past._

_Although I won't stop you if that is what you want to do but if this is because of THAT incident, then I strongly advise you to reconsider. You had no fault in what happened despite what some of the villagers say. Talon. Please think this carefully. The wastes are very different from what you are accustomed to the village and its surroundings._

A young man, in leather armor garments, wakes up to the sound of howls. He looks into the night sky as he stares at his right hand. He then stares at his left arm, which was covered by the tattered remains of what was once an American Flag now serving as the young man's cloak.

"I will fulfil our ancient task…" the young man uttered as he stares at his right hand once again "I cannot fail… I can't…"

As he sits there and ponders for a moment, a wasteland creature slowly creeps closer to the young man from behind.

It gets within striking range and attacks the young man with its claws.

However, the young man easily rolls to the front, evading the attack.

Facing his attacker, the young man is confronted by a large werewolf-like creature.

"A Fenrir…" the young man noted as he positions his left arm in an L-shape and his right arm in the back "Alone? That's odd…"

Seconds later, the wolf lunges at the man, who ducks down and uses his right hand and speed to manipulate the wolf's trajectory, causing it to fall flat on its back.

He then takes two steps back and picks up his Colt Python and unloads 3 shots on the wolf's head.

As the wolf lies there dead, the rest of its pack arrive and surround the man.

"I knew there were more…" he uttered as the wolves attack him.

He fires one two shots, accurately landing on one of the wolf's head, and quickly jumps back to evade the other two wolves, that ended up colliding with one another.

Another wolf then jumps from a small elevation, on top of the man. The man quickly fires a shot, hitting the wolf. He quickly rolls out of the way as the wolf lands near him.

Out of ammo, the young man swings out the cylinder of his gun. He quickly ejects the spent bullets and positions the gun near his left hand.

Still covered by the American Flag, the young man's left hand reload the gun all the while maintaining the L-shaped form of his arm.

Two of the wolves then resume their attack on him.

He unloads all 6 shots from his revolver, hitting the wolves by the torso.

Unhindered by the damage, the wolves get into melee range.

The young man dodges every swipe.

As the 3rd wolf joins the fray, the young man then moves his left arm, causing part of his cloak to move, revealing not a human hand but a heavily mutated claw.

He then engages the wolves in melee combat.

As the two wolves continue their attacks, the man uses his left hand to stab one in the heart and quickly swipes the other one in the face, causing it to recoil.

When the 3rd wolf began its assault, the young man punches it several times with his "left fist" and ended with a slash to the wolf's throat, killing it.

With one wolf left, the man dashes towards his target, and slashes the creature several times in the torso before ending its life with a beheading.

With the threat gone, the young man quickly gathers his belongings, which is just one backpack, and prepares to leave.

As he left, something catches his eye.

"A corpse" he uttered as he sees the body of a young man "Must be the Fenrirs' latest kill…"

He checks on the corpse for any usable items.

"Huh?" he muttered as he sees a peculiar device attached to the man's left arm.

Using his "left hand", the young man cuts the corpse's left arm and attempts to pry the device off it.

After some time, he succeeds but seeing as he may not be able to wear it, the young man decided to put the device in his backpack.

"Another trinket to show once my journey is over…" he muttered as he went on his way through the unforgiving wastes of what was once Washington State.


	3. SDVT-1

2312:

A lone vertibird flies through the ruins of Washington State.

"Alright boys" Ellie said "We don't know of Vault-Tec's combat capabilities. Keep your intervals wide and your eyes peeled"

"Ellie" Polonsky said over the radio "You're too excited! At least wait for the Rufus' team!"

"No time! After what happened to Dallas, Vault-Tec knows we're on to them! We have to move fast!"

"Ellie!"

"Come on! Have faith in me… and my wolves!"

Polonsky sighs. "…Fine. Don't get killed out there"

"Don't worry I won't"

**Elsewhere:**

"Yeah right…" Polonsky said as he sits back on his chair and sighs.

"So?" Alexander asked, approaching the man

"Stubborn as always…"

"Some things never change, I guess"

"That's true"

"Also. I didn't know she has a new squad"

"Yep… They call themselves Wolf Pack. Some of the Templars we gathered turned out to be decent fighters and Ellie decided to organize them into a fighting force"

"Interesting... Mind if I can get the names of these guys?"

"Why? Is the NCR still hunting Enclave remnants?"

"Nah… Just to sate my curiosity"

"Alright"

Polonsky then hands over a file to the general.

* * *

**Jonas -** Demolition. Ex-mechanic and scavenger from the Boneyard. Good with explosives and even helped make and maintain a few of the NCR's weapons. Participated in the NCR expansion to the east but remained in the Carolina wasteland until 2308.

**Vivian –** Recon. Formerly a trader from the Crimson Caravans. Known for her high perception, she was mostly used to scout out potential threats and ensure that the caravans avoid as much as possible. Her caravan mostly traded in New Vegas.

**Owen –** CQC Specialist. Ex-Ranger and Drill instructor. Known for his strict training regiments and almost inhuman exercises. Participated in the NCR invasion of D.C. in 2300. Acted mostly as a drill instructor, he also participated in several key engagements such as the rescue of General Alexander.

**Marta –** Support Gunner. Scavenger and former Sons of Liberty rebel. Survivor of the Brotherhood-Enclave War of 2277. Became a mercenary-for-hire between 2277 and 2305. Participated in many major engagements during the war with her service record going as early as the Battle of Canterbury Commons.

* * *

"And Ellie's the squad leader. Interesting…" Alexander said, putting the file down "But there's isn't much info here. Not even an age range"

"That's the point" Polonsky answered "These guys, as Ellie claimed, are one of the best soldiers or related to the best soldiers of the Enclave's old army"

"…Fine. You people and your secret battles and secret societies…"

"Guilty as charged"

"Anyway. Ellie's a tad bit too excited. She's never been this reckless before"

"It's Vault-Tec. She's been itching to pick a fight with em for a while now"

"Right… I just hope she doesn't do anything stupid while she's at it..."

Back in the destroyed remains of Washington State, Ellie's team nears their destination.

Down below, several men, wearing advanced armor along with gas masks & helmets, position themselves around the ruined city.

One raises his missile launcher and locks onto Ellie's vertibird.

"Missile lock!" one of the pilots said

Ellie quickly looks through the windshield and notices the lone individual on top of the remains of a roof

"Evasive maneuvers!" she shouted as the individual launches the missile

"FLARES!" Ellie shouted again as the vertibird releases its flares.

The missile hits one of the flares, saving the vertibird.

However, more individuals emerge from the ruins and fire their respective rocket launchers.

The pilots struggle to evade the ever increasing number of rockets and missiles.

It didn't take long for one rocket to hit one of the vertibird's engines, causing it to spin out of control.

"Fuck!" Ellie shouted "Brace!"

Seconds later, the vertibird crashes in the middle of the city.

* * *

Alexander continues his conversation with Polonsky.

"I get that these guys were former Enclave" the NCR general said "But what of their combat abilities? How well can these guys handle a firefight?"

"Don't worry" Polonsky answered "When push comes to shove, they deliver pain. Hot and on time"

"That's a weird way to put it"

* * *

The hostile group surrounds the vertibird crash site.

Inside, Ellie and her squad scour the vertibird for usable items and a way out

"Is everyone alright?" Ellie said

"Both pilots are dead" Jonas, armed with an AK-74 with a GP-25 grenade launcher, reported

"I'm spotting around 20 tangos" Vivian said as she continues to scan the area, through a small dent on the vertibird, with her analyzer goggles "4 on the 2nd floor of a building on our 2 o'clock, probably snipers. About 10 right in front and 3 on each side"

"Alright people" Ellie said as she cocks her AK-74u "Let's make these bastards regret picking a fight with us"

She then breaks open the top part of the vertibird.

As the remains of the vertibird's door land on the ground, Ellie and Owen emerge from the crash site and dash towards their targets.

The enemy soldiers open fire as the duo uses the ruins as cover and closes the distance on the 3 soldiers on each side.

The snipers had a clear shot of the duo but quickly retreat behind cover as one of them gets shot by a barrage from Marta's M249 SAW.

The middle squad also takes cover as Vivian delivers precise headshots with her Barret .50 cal while Jonas uses his GP-25 to smoke the enemies behind cover.

Meanwhile, the 3-man teams on the sides suddenly find themselves in close combat with Ellie and Owen.

On Owen's side, one of the individuals attempts to attack the man with his Ripper. Owen quickly uses his left hand to spin and redirect the man's right arm elsewhere, completely avoiding the mini saw's blades.

Owen then stabs his adversary in the stomach with his karambit and uses his body as shield from the bullets coming from the other 2 hostiles.

He then lunges at another hapless individual as the fight continues.

On Ellie's side, she does a backflip, evading a swipe from one of the soldiers.

She then brings out her M1911 and dodges another strike as she lunges at the man and rams her shoulder on his stomach but her adversary did not flinch.

Ellie then aims her pistol directly at the man's stomach and furiously unloads her magazine upon the individual, using the final bullet to shoot the man from under his mask.

As the other 2 individuals lunge at her, Ellie quickly grabs one of the men by their arm and throws them to the ground. She then does a backflip, evading the other man's attack.

Ellie then flicks both her wrists, unleashing her hidden blades, and furiously stabs one of the men in the chest.

As the other man gets back up, Ellie quickly grabs his shoulder and stabs him through the throat.

Meanwhile, the snipers struggle to return fire as Marta continues to hammer their position.

Suddenly, the barrage stops.

For a short while, the area was silent as both parties waited for one to make the first move.

One of the hostile individuals, then, breaks cover.

Vivian quickly aims her Barret but retreats behind cover as the other 2 snipers fire their respective rifles at her

Marta takes cover as well as the snipers displace from their location.

"Not letting you guys escape…" Vivian muttered as she breaks cover and aims at the path ahead of the snipers

She fires a shot and the bullet lands on one of the sniper's heads. As the other 2 snipers raise their rifles, Marta and Jonas break cover and fire their respective weapons at the two, killing them before they even pulled their triggers.

**A few minutes later:**

Ellie and her team gather by the vertibird crash site.

"Well" Jonas said looking at one of the corpses "That was an interesting landing and yep, these guys are from Vault-Tec alright"

"Quite a welcome party" Marta remarked "If this is all what Vault-Tec has to offer, I'm kinda surprised that they managed to end the world"

"Let's not pat each other on the back just yet" Ellie said "We've underestimated our foes before and it led to our defeat, TWICE. We MUST NOT do that again"

"Right. Right." Owen responded

"The Vault Dallas found should be just a few meters away" Ellie said looking at her Pip-Boy "Let's move"

**Later that night:**

As Wolf Pack scours the ruins of an old suburb, they stop by a house to spend the night.

The inside was no different than any other ruined house.

Furniture was either overturned or scattered everywhere, metallic parts rusting in a corner

It seemed the house was no different than any other abandoned structure.

As the squad sits down and rest, Ellie moves deeper into the house, entering a room.

Inside, she finds an old picture frame. In it was a black and white image of a middle-aged man with a young woman next to him and a little girl in front of the two.

"Funny…" the squad leader muttered "…This middle-aged man is familiar… But I can't put my finger on it…"

As she notices the man's pendant in the picture, she hears a faint sound coming from inside the frame.

"Curious…" Ellie muttered as she tries to open the frame but fails

She then flicks her wrist and uses her hidden blade to pry open the backside of the frame.

She succeeds and finds a holotape hidden inside

Before she could play the contents of the tape, Vivian calls to her.

"Ellie!" she said "We got hostiles!"

Putting the holotape in her inventory, the squad leader readies her gun and moves towards her squad.

Wolf pack positions by the living room

"What do we have?" Ellie asked

"4 tangos" Owen reported "All armed with unknown firearms but they seem to be ballistic in nature"

"…And a Chimera Tank" Jonas added

"Chimera Tank?" Ellie remarked "Vault-Tec managed to procure Chinese tanks?"

"So what's the plan, boss?" Owen asked

Ellie smiles as she begins briefing her squad

* * *

A few minutes later, Wolf Pack splits into 2 groups, with Owen, Vivian, and Ellie using stealthboys to get close to the tank while the rest of the squad positions themselves inside the house

As the enemy squad gets close to the house, Jonas fires his GP-25

The grenade detonates close to the tank, sending 2 enemy soldiers flying while the rest respond accordingly.

The tank quickly turns its turret and aims for the house

Owen quickly deactivates his stealthboy and lunges at the remaining soldiers.

He plunges his knife onto one of the soldiers' throats and parries a strike from the other

He then grabs the hapless soldier and pins him to the ground

"Oh shit…" Jonas uttered as the tank fires a shot "Get down!"

The tank shell punches a hole in the house as Ellie jumps on top of the tank

Using her superhuman strength, Ellie opens the hatch slightly, just enough for the muzzle of her AK-74u to fit

She pulls down on the trigger, hard, emptying her whole mag as the tank crew screamed in terror

With the threat neutralized, Wolf Pack gathers around the last surviving Vault-Tec soldier

"I kept him alive, boss" Owen reported as he exerts force onto the pinned soldier

"Vivian" Ellie said as Vivian connects her Pip-Boy with the soldier's Pip-Boy

"So much encrypted files…" Vivian uttered "This may take a while…"

"What do we do with this guy?" Owen asked

"We 'interview' him about Vault-Tec" Ellie replied as Owen prepares to interrogate the prisoner

As Owen takes off the prisoner's mask, he notices the enemy soldier grinning

"Well. Well" Owen uttered "I wonder how long you can maintain that demeanor"

"You won't get anything from me!" the Vault-Tec soldier uttered as foam begins to form around his mouth

"Suicide pill?!" Ellie uttered in surprise "Damn it!"

The soldier convulses and shakes before finally going silent.

"Well…" Owen said "He's dead…"

"So much for that info…" Marta remarked

"Fuck…" Ellie uttered "Vivian. How's the decryption?"

"I managed to decrypt a marker pointing north but the other files are so well encrypted that if I make one mistake, everything inside my Pip-Boy will be encrypted too"

"Wow" Jonas uttered "These Vault-Tec guys are good…"

"At least we have a lead" Ellie said "Alright. We rest up for a few minutes and-"

But before Ellie could finish her sentence, she notices a figure in the corner of another house

She quickly raises her rifle and fires a burst. "We got a straggler!" she shouted

Wolf Pack quickly converges on the corner

From there, Ellie increases her speed to catch up with the figure

She lunges at him and pins him to the ground

Holding down the figure's right arm, Ellie flicks her left wrist and proceeds to stab the figure's left shoulder but the blade breaks upon contact

"What the fuck?!" she uttered as the man struggles free

Ellie jumps back and sees a young man, wearing leather armor and an American flag as a cloak

The two stare off before the man quickly draws his Python

Ellie lunges, dodging several shots and gets within melee range

Before Ellie could attack, the man unleashes his mutated left claw upon the squad leader.

Ellie blocks the attack with her arms, leaving a deep gash on both

"That explains my blade breaking…" she muttered as her arms regenerate

Clenching her fists, Ellie lunges once more. This time, she dodges or parries all of the man's strikes and lands several punches, ending with a knee to the stomach.

The man collapses onto the ground as Ellie gets on top of him

Grabbing the man's jaw, she utters "Now. You're going to tell me everything you know"


	4. Talon

**Some time ago:**

"Talon! Talon!" A young girl says, pulling a young boy by his left arm "Come on! We're almost there!"

"Wh-Where are we going?" The young boy asked "Aren't we at the edge of the mountain?"

The young girl kept silent and continued to pull the young boy through the narrow mountain passage.

The duo soon stop shortly after getting through the passage.

The boy's eyes widen as he witnesses an amazing view of the wasteland.

Despite the view below showing only the destruction that the old war brought, he couldn't help but feel amazed by the view as the sun sets just in front of them.

"What do you think?" the girl asked "Isn't the view great?"

"Y-Yeah…" the boy replied as his eyes are fixed to the horizon "But… Down below, the scars of the old world remain…"

"So?"

"What?"

"It's true that the world destroyed itself… But… I don't want to think that humans are trapped in an endless cycle of destruction…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Look at our village. Our elders say that it started out as a shelter for those who couldn't make it to the vaults… Our ancestor didn't point weapons upon one another. Instead, they worked together to build the village we know today…"

"Uh…"

"I-It's kinda hard to explain actually but that's what I think…"

"No… I get it… somewhat…"

"You do? Great! Now promise me that you'll keep this place a secret"

"Huh? Oh… O-Ok…"

The duo shake hands

"Yey! We have our own 'secret hideout'!" the girl said with a bright smile

"Yeah…"

"Let's work hard to make a better tomorrow… Talon"

The young boy nods as the duo look at the setting sun

* * *

Talon slowly opens his eyes

Still groggy, the young man could barely see 4 figures standing near a campfire.

He attempts to move but finds his right arm is cuffed to the side of a tank while his left arm was chained to a nearby post.

He attempts to break his restraints but to no avail

"I see you're awake"

Talon looks behind him and sees Ellie pointing a rifle at him

"I told you" Talon said "I am not part of Vault-Tec!"

"Still sticking to that story huh… Maybe you can explain where you got this Pip-boy!"

"Pip-boy?"

"This!"

Ellie then throws a Pip-Boy in front of Talon

"That item? I found it on a corpse"

"Really now? You sure it's not something given to you by Vault-Tec?"

"I am telling the truth! They are my enemies as well!"

"Really now? And why is Vault-Tec your enemy too?"

"They… They did things to me"

"Things? Like what?"

"As you can see, my arm is not exactly normal"

"Your arm huh… Anything else?"

"Listen to me! I know the location of a nearby Vault-Tec facility. If you undo my restraints, I shall lead you to it"

"You think I'm stupid? Give me one good reason why I should trust you"

Talon fell silent. "How could I convince this woman that I am telling the truth?!" he thought to himself

That was when he remembered what the Elder said. "If you find yourself lost, this pendant may help you find your way"

"My pendant…" Talon muttered

"Well?" Ellie said "I'm waiting"

"My pendant!" Talon responded

"What?"

"My pendant! Look at it!"

Puzzled, Ellie approaches Talon, putting down her rifle and drawing her pistol.

"Your pendant?" she said "No funny business"

She looks at the pendant and the pattern was familiar but Ellie could not recognize the pendant at all.

"Nice pendant" Ellie sarcastically said "Now what?"

Before Talon could answer, he sees a figure, behind Ellie, slowly making its way towards her.

"Hey!" he said "There's someone approaching from behind you!"

"Don't change the goddamn subject!" Ellie responded "What the hell is up with this pendant?"

"Not NOW!" Talon shouted as he struggles to free himself "Behind you!"

"What?" Ellie said as the figure pulled out a knife

Ellie quickly turns around and blocks the knife with her left arm

"Another one?!" she said "Wolf Pack! We got more company!"

"What the hell?!" Owen shouted as gunfire suddenly erupts

Ellie quickly overpowers her would-be assailant and stabs him with her hidden blade

She quickly draws her rifle as she and her squad return fire.

"These bastards never let up!" Jonas said as he throws a grenade

"More meat for the grinder, I'd say!" Marta responded laying heavy suppressive fire

As the fighting continues, Talon attempts to undo his restraints.

"Hey!" he shouted "You! Girl! I can help! Undo my restraints!"

"Girl?!" Ellie responded "You got some nerve you piece of shit! What makes you think I'll let you out of those?!"

"Because I can help! If you help me, I shall help you!"

Ellie ponders for a moment.

"Fine!" she said removing Talon's restraints

"Thanks you" he said

"So what now?" Ellie asked

"I shall move to their side and catch them by surprise"

"I'll be coming with you! Don't want you stabbing us in the back!"

"Fine"

"Alright. Vivian! Owen! I'll be going with our little prisoner to flank these bastards! Sit tight!"

"Don't take too long!" Owen replied as the duo made their way to the side

"Right!" Ellie said "You! Boy! Let's go!"

"Boy?" Talon wondered as he follows Ellie

* * *

**Vancouver, Oregano; NCR Border Outpost**

**9:15pm:**

In the watchtowers, 2 NCR troopers scan the horizon.

"Huh?" a male trooper uttered

"What is it?" a female trooper asked

"I thought I saw something…"

The NCR trooper slowly leaned over the watchtower, trying to get a clear view of what he saw

"Looks like it's just a couple of mole rats" he said

"Mole Rats? What are they doing around these parts?"

Before the male trooper could say anything, an assailant emerges from the wall.

He grabs the trooper and quickly slits his throat.

"Ka-" the female trooper uttered before a bullet drills through her head but there was hardly any sound.

With the 2 troopers dead, several figures emerge from the wall and begin their mission, eliminating some guards and planting explosives around the base.

**Briefing Room:**

Inside, Rufus is briefing the rangers on their next mission.

"We lost contact with Ellie and her team around here" he said pointing to a location on the map "This is a search and rescue. We are cleared to engage any assailants but we must engage them with caution as our main priority is securing Ellie and her team"

As the briefing continues, the nearby radio comes to life. "Sparrow. This is Hawk. Do you copy?"

It was General Alexander.

Rufus and the other rangers approach the radio

"This is Sparrow" he replied "We copy you, Hawk"

"Good" Alexander responded "You're still in the base! I need everyone there on high alert! I can't get in touch with the comms officer for some reason"

"High alert?" Rufus wondered "What's up?"

"No time to explain! I'm headed your way right now!"

Rufus turns to his rangers. "You heard the man. Alert everyone in the base. We may have company"

"Yes sir!" the rangers said as they comply, leaving Rufus, Clover, and Jericho in the room.

"Hawk, what's your ETA?" Rufus asked

"My ETA is-"

"Hawk? Do you copy? Hawk?"

The general didn't respond but Rufus continues his transmission.

"Hawk? Are you there?"

"Ah! Goddamn it!" Alexander responded "Sparrow! I'll be a bit late! Got some uninvited 'guests' here! Shit! Get down! Into the building! Everyone! Get into the building!"

"Hawk!"

"Can't talk rig-" Alexander replied as the transmission is cut once again.

Before the 3 rangers could make sense of the situation, several explosions erupt around the base and bullets started flying.

"We're under attack!" a NCR trooper shouted as the soldiers scramble to combat the threat

The 3 quickly emerge from the briefing room and find that the entire base was in flames and several armed assailants have surrounded the base, assaulting the NCR troops in the area.

"I see why Alex wanted us to be on high alert…" Rufus uttered cocking his rifle

"Your orders, sir" Jericho said as he readies his rifle

"We kick ass, of course" Rufus replied

Clover chuckles as she draws her dual blades and the 3 enter the fray.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Washington, Wolf Pack continues to engage Vault-Tec's soldiers while Ellie and Talon flank them from the side.

From the 2nd floor of a derelict building, Ellie and Talon jump down towards the unsuspecting Vault-Tec troops.

Ellie plunges her hidden blade on one of the soldiers while Talon uses his claw to crush the other.

Ellie and Talon quickly draw their M1911 and Python respectively and open fired upon the stunned Vault-Tec troops.

With the combination of Ellie's hidden blades and Talon's claw, the duo decimate the enemy troops

"I think that's all of them" Ellie said as a lone soldier manages to catch her off guard. "Shit!"

The soldier activates an energy wrist blade and attempts to stab her.

Talon quickly jumps between the 2 and catches the blade. He then fires his python at the assailant's head.

Despite holding the blade itself, Talon's claw shows no sign of damage.

"That's a pretty sturdy claw you got" Ellie said

Talon stares at his 'palm' as an image of a man in a lab coat flashes before his eyes.

He clenches his 'fist'.

A few minutes later, Wolf Pack regroups.

"So" Owen said "What do we do now? Vault-Tec knows we're here and I think this isn't the last squad they'll send against us"

"Should we move on?" Vivian asked

"But where to?" Marta responded

Ellie ponders for a moment.

"This guy" she said pointing at Talon "says that a Vault-Tec facility is nearby. He'll leads us to it"

"So we're just gonna trust him like that?" Jonas asked

"We don't have a choice. Hey kid. What's your name?"

"Talon"

"Nice to meet you Talon. My name is Ellie. Now lead the way"

"Right" Talon replied

* * *

**Vancouver, Oregano; NCR Border Outpost**

**11:30pm**

Rufus, Clover, and Jericho stand over the corpses of the assailants as NCR soldiers attempt to put out the fires.

"They were tough…" Clover said

"… They're not your regular soldiers… That's for sure" Jericho added

Rufus stayed quiet and began to check the bodies.

He soon finds an insignia on one of the assailant's vests

"Guys…" Rufus said with a hint to dread "… We have a problem…"

"What is it?" Jericho asked as he and Clover came closer

Rufus shows them a familiar insignia.

"Isn't that…" Jericho said as a cold sweat drops from his forehead

"… Caesar's Legion…?" Clover said

"This is not good…" Rufus muttered "… Let's put out these fires so we can send a rescue squad for Alex… If the Legion's back… This is gonna make things more complicated…"

* * *

**The next day:**

**Hidden Vault-Tec Facility:**

**10:45am:**

Wolf Pack soon finds themselves in front of a familiar Vault door.

"So this is the place?" Ellie asked

"Yes…" Talon answered "I 'lost' my left arm here"

Ellie then nods as Wolf Pack prepares their rifles.

"Vivian" Ellie commanded "Do it"

Using her Pip-Boy, Vivian hacks the control panel, opening the vault door.

"Hey guys" Owen said "Isn't it weird that there are no guards here?"

"You're right…" Jonas replied "Something's not right…"

"Cut the chatter" Ellie responded as the door fully opens, revealing the inside "Keep your intervals wide and your asses covered, let's move!"

Wolf Pack slowly makes their way through the facility.

"This place is a mess…" Owen said noticing the scattered items around the facility

"Don't let your guard down" Ellie responded "We don't know what Vault-Tec has in here…"

Eventually, Wolf Pack finds themselves inside a laboratory.

"This is where it all began…" Talon muttered

"Clear the area" Ellie commanded as Wolf Pack splits up and clears each part of the lab

**A few minutes later:**

"Place is empty…" Jonas said as scouring through the lab equipment "… Weird…"

"I know…" Owen replied "Why'd they abandon this place?"

"Maybe because our little mutant over there escape" Marta answered

"Alright" Ellie said "Start looking around. Vault-Tec was in a hurry to abandon this facility. They would surely have left something useful"

"Right!" the other members said as they comply

"So…" Ellie said to Talon "This is where you were experimented?"

"Yes…" Talon answered "I as well as my tribe were captured and… and… the things these people did to us…"

"Your tribe? What tribe? There shouldn't be any settlements around Washington State"

"We lived in the mountains… I do not know where exactly but it was home"

"What happened to your tribe?"

"Most died in this very building… Some, like me, were able to escape… Others are still in the hands of those bastards…"

Ellie noticed a tear drop down Talon.

"Ellie" Vivian said "You may want to look at this"

"What is it?" Ellie asked as she and Talon walked towards Vivian, who was holding a file

"This file…" Vivian said "I'm not entirely sure but… This must be where Dallas was…"

"It's ok Vivian… Let me take a look"

Vivian hands over the file to Ellie, who promptly opens it

* * *

California Observation Reports

Year: 2131

After being exposed to high levels of a prototype FEV strain, a lone human evolves into a grotesque being that has taken control of a nearby facility as well as gaining the support of the Super Mutants, who are known to be hard to control. Further observation is recommended as this being may be the key to completing the super soldier program of the old United States Government.

Year: 2134

This being known as 'the master' has been kidnapping wasteland inhabitants and are forcibly exposed to the prototype virus. Mutations vary. Some turn into super mutants, others become grotesque creatures (devoid of humanity) but they seem to act as guard dogs, the rest simply die out. Parley is recommended in order for samples to be obtained as well as gain insight on how 'the master' is able to control these mutants.

Year: 2137

Mutant populations are now comparable to an entire battalion. All envoys sent to 'the master' have met with failure. All were immediately detained and subjected to the effects of the virus without this 'master' allowing them to parley. The growth of this 'army' is concerning as it may pose a threat to the inhabitants of the California area.

Year: 2154

The Mutant army has attacks Vault 17. Kidnapping vault residents and exposing them to the virus. Mutant Army threat is imminent. Recommend euthanizing the mutants to secure the safety of Vault-Tec property.

Year: 2156

A cult was formed under the banner of the super mutants named "The Children of the Cathedral". Composed of unmutated humans, they act as spies. All hired mercenaries and security squads sent to neutralize the super mutants have met with failure.

Year: 2161

Vault 13's water chip unexpectedly malfunctions. A lone vault dweller is sent to repair it. Said dweller has shown resilience and resourcefulness, possible candidate to neutralize super mutant threat. Begin preparations to 'guide' said dweller, dubbed Blue, to 'the master'

Year: 2162

Security forces attack 'the cathedral'. Failing to destroy the facility, casualties' number in the hundreds. Super Mutant Army retaliates, attacking settlements, numerous civilian casualties. Attacks spur 'Blue' to confront 'the master'. Confirm absolute destruction of the cathedral and the Mariposa Military Base. Begin cleanup operations. 'Blue' no longer relevant.

Year: 2189

Human settlements in California begin to form a government naming it, "the New California Republic". Recommend integrating agents into the new government to assure control over it. (The rest of the text is unreadable)

Year: 2198

US Government remnants, dubbing themselves "the Enclave", have surfaced. New faction is fully aware of Vault-Tec's ambitions as well as confirmed reports that the leadership are members of the Templar Order. Recommend immediate action as their activities may be damaging to the company. New California Republic is a viable candidate to oppose this new faction.

Year: 2241

US Government remnants, dubbed "the Enclave", have begun operations to undermine Vault-Tec activity in the area. Methods include mass genocide of vaults, human experimentation, and many others. Security Forces sent to area to limit damage. New California Republic proves useless in this endeavor. New candidate surfaces, a lone tribeswoman.

Successful termination of Enclave assets in the California Area. Agents within New California Republic have begun cleansing operations, silencing all members of the Enclave. Company secrets remain hidden.

Year: 2253

Continued support to New California Republic. The government has grew large and powerful, conquering the California Area. Agents have convinced the government to begin expanding to other regions, resistance is to be expected.

Year: 2254

Enclave convoys moving towards the Washington D.C. area. The reprogrammed A.I., known as 'John Henry Eden', has lured many Enclave survivors to the Capital Wasteland. Brotherhood of Steel squadrons are enroute to the Capital Wasteland, probable candidate for the final cleansing of Enclave elements in the region.

Year: 2277

Brotherhood elements begin attacking Enclave forces. Confirm total destruction of the Enclave's command structure as well as the A.I. Enclave no longer a threat. Agents on standing by in the region, awaiting further orders.

Year: 2282

New California Republic fails in their invasion of the Mojave Wasteland. Unknown variable present, an individual known as "the courier". Immediate termination of the variable is recommended. Caesar's Legion decimated and forced to retreat east. New candidate to help grow the New California Republic's power, the Brotherhood of Steel. Recommend sending agents to infiltrate the brotherhood and gain control from within.

Year: 2290

Agents successfully take control of the Brotherhood leadership. Alliance was born between the Brotherhood and the Republic. Presence of Templar and Assassin activity in the Washington DC area have been detected. Immediate elimination of both factions is recommended. The republic is to invade the eastern coast, eliminating another anomaly, the one called "the Lone Wanderer" as well as the secret factions.

Year: 2300

Agents have encountered and fought against elements of the Assassin Brotherhood. Reports confirm that the 'lone wanderer' is one of them. The faction is aware of Vault-Tec's activities, immediate termination is advised.

Year: 2307

Republic forces take control of the majority of the Capital Wasteland. Agents begin cleansing operations against Assassin and Templar elements.

A rebel group surfaces and begins opposition against the republic. Agents have encountered several elements from the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order.

War ends with Republic defeat. Confirmed reports that Templar and Assassin elements have joined forces. Situation is critical. Immediate action is recommended.

* * *

"Shit…" Ellie said as she finishes reading the file "Vault-Tec… They were behind all of them… Not just the Great War… Everything…"

"Yeah…" Vivian replied

"What are these bastards planning…?" Ellie uttered as she sees a photo at the back of the folder.

She opens it and sees the photo of a familiar man.

"Threat level: 10. Immediate termination recommended…" she said "This man… He's the one in that picture… At that house…"

Talon leans over and sees the picture of the man.

"Him!" Talon uttered

"You know him?" Ellie asked

"He is the fabled sun…" Talon answered "The one who made our tribe possible"

"Made your tribe possible?"

Ellie then remembers the holotape she got from the house. She quickly plays it.

* * *

I hope whoever is hearing this, you would be willing to help me. My codename is Raven. I am a member of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. This war… This entire war was orchestrated by one man, Alec Oppenheim. He is a madman who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I failed to stop him from starting the nuclear war that ended the world… I can feel the effects of radiation all over my body and it's painful… There is no time… I have left behind some supplies and data about Vault-Tec, hidden inside an underground bunker in Menifee, California. The door is marked with the insignia of the sun, the same pattern shown in my pendant you see in the picture. Please… Whoever you are. For the sake of retribution. You will follow the clues that I left behind and bring Alec Oppenheim and Vault-Tec to justice!

* * *

The recording ends. Ellie stands there, stunned at the revelation.

"Kid…" she said "That pendant of yours… Where did you get it?"

"It was passed down from my family" Talon replied

"Kid…" Ellie said as she turns to Talon "Looks like you're our key to winning this long war…"


	5. Chess Opening

**Abandoned Vault-Tec Facility, Washington State:**

"Intruder" a robotic voice announced as 2 machine gun turrets open fire on Ellie and Talon through a narrow corridor

"Vivian" Ellie said over the radio "Any luck with the facility's security?"

"Working on it…" she replied "Vault-Tec's security protocols are a cut above the usual shit I hack"

"Right… Owen. Any word from the radio?"

"Negative" Owen responded "Still no response from Polonsky or Rufus"

"Damn it!"

Without a word Talon uses his claw to tear part of the wall.

"You're strong…" Ellie said with wide eyes and a seemingly calm demeanor

"No" Talon replied "I am not strong… My arm is an abomination but I am not strong"

The young tribesman uses the wall as a shield as he slowly moves through the narrow corridor

"Nice thinking, kid" Ellie complemented, patting the tribesman

Seconds later, the duo reached the two turrets. Ellie quickly breaks cover and fires on the turret's control chip while Talon lets go of the wall and crushes the other turret with his claw.

The duo catch their breathes for a second.

"Whatever Vault-Tec did to you…" Ellie said, chuckling for a bit "… Damn… I'd like to see how they managed to do it"

"What?"

"I'd like to understand your mutation. And maybe find a way to cure you or at least alleviate it"

"Thank you… I would appreciate that"

The duo then press on deeper in to the facility and soon stumble upon a metal door.

"Vivian" Ellie said "Finished hacking the system yet? I got a huge door here that needs opening"

"I managed to access the security feed" Vivian replied "I see you. Hang on… Just a little more"

"Alright. So… Talon. I'm rather curious about your tribe"

"My tribe?"

"Yes. What's the name of your tribe? Where are you all located?"

"We are called the Zion. I do not know exactly where we were but it was in a mountain. Somewhere north of here"

"Zion huh… A generic name. But north of here… The rocky mountains?"

"The elders say our village began when a few families were unable to reach the safety of the vaults. They retreated to the caves which miraculously protected them"

"What a convenient stroke of luck… How about that pendant? What's the deal with that?"

"This pendant has been passed down to the eldest child in my family. It holds a sacred meaning for our tribe and it is said that it is the key to finding 'the sun'"

"The sun? You mean that Raven person? You worship him?"

"Strictly speaking, we do not worship him rather we revere him. He helped evacuate several people to the mountains and helped form the tribe from there but one day, he disappeared and was never seen again. He was also the father of my ancestor. From what I was told, after her father's disappearance, my ancestor would look into the sky during the day, believing that her father would return. This pendant was her source of hope"

"Very interesting… So what happened to your village?"

"One day, a group of armed men arrived and began kidnapping everyone. After that, you already know what happened. But I and a few others managed to escape this very facility. We went our separate ways. I do not know where they are now. I only pray that they are safe"

"I see…"

"Ellie" Vivian interrupted "I'm in. Opening the door now"

"Right" Ellie replied "Thanks Vivian! Talon. Let's go"

Leaning against the side of the door, the duo prepare their weapons for a fight

Talon nods at Ellie, who opens the door

The duo goes in, guns drawn

The room was barely lit. Medical equipment, papers, and folders littered the floor of the room

The duo searches the room

"Looks like this was where they did their experiments" Ellie remarked as she picks up a file "FEV sample T-2… T-2? Another strain?"

She looks at Talon, who seems to be fixated on the operating table

"Talon?" she called "Talon?"

"Huh?" Talon responded "Wh-What?"

"Something wrong?"

"N-Nothing… J-Just bad memories surfacing…"

"Bad memories huh…"

The duo continue to search the room, with Talon, seemingly, deep in thought

Not long after, Vivian's voice echoes through the facility's speakers

"Ellie" she said "We have Polonsky on the radio. He wants to talk to you"

"Finally!" Ellie responded as she taps Talon's shoulder "Come on. Let's head back"

* * *

"Polonsky!" Ellie said, picking up the radio's mic "How's it going?"

"About fucking time you guys respond" he replied

"Yeah sorry… Shit happened one after another… So… When's backup arriving?"

"They're not coming?"

"Huh?"

"The NCR base in Oregano was attacked"

"What?!"

"Yep. Rufus and his team are alive but we lost a considerable amount of men. Not to mention that the base was severely damaged"

"Who's behind the attack? Was it Vault-Tec?"

"No… You're not gonna believe this but according to Rufus, one of the attackers had the insignia of Caesar's Legion on his clothes"

"Caesar's Legion? I thought they got wiped out years ago? What about Alexander?"

"Alexander's missing… He was supposed to meet Rufus in the Oregano base saying he had intel to share"

"Damn it…"

"Unfortunately, the bad news just keep on coming. We're facing a substantial increase in riots across the republic"

"Riots?"

"You heard me. Riots. Someone's stirring the public to riot"

"Any idea what's pissing them off?"

"That's the weird part. It's the usual banter. Government not giving enough help to the people, abuses, etcetera, etcetera. But what concerns me is that they're much larger and more organized compared to previous rallies they've done even then, they don't riot and break almost everything in sight"

"That is concerning… But let me fill you in on some good news. We found a Vault-Tec Facility. WE're scraping it for intel as we speak"

"Well. Well… I guess you guys didn't just get lost huh?"

"Yeah. We have a lead on how to fight back"

"Nice. Fill me I when you get back to Shady Sands"

"We're not securing the facility?"

"Unfortunately, we're a bit undermanned at the moment. Grab whatever valuables you can find and get back to Shady Sands. I'll send a vertibird to pick you up"

"…Right"

Ellie grunts in frustration

"You heard the man" she said "Get everything valuable in this facility"

"Wilco" Vivian replied as she contacts the others "Wolf Pack. Gather as much valuable files, data, and items as you can! We're-"

"What do we do now?" Talon whispered

"We're heading back to NCR territory and you're coming with us"

**Vault 92, Capital Wasteland (Union Territory)**

**High Security Prison Block**

In a small barely lit room, James Lyons meets with a familiar inmate

"Johannes" he said in digust

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and accompanied by 2 guards, the man takes a seat just in front of James

"Well. Well" the former rebel commander said "To what do I owe this unexpected visit from one of the Union's leaders?"

"It's been 5 years since your plan failed. And yet until now, you still don't talk"

"What of it?"

"You know… Every Vault-Tec agent we capture always takes this 'suicide pill'. But when we captured you, you didn't have one, not to mention that you never tried to commit suicide despite having several chances to do so"

"So?"

"So here's my take. You want to live"

"What got you to that conclusion? All because I haven't tried killing myself? Has it ever crossed your mind that I may have something that both you and Vault-Tec want?"

"What?"

"5 years and none of you still get it. Don't you find it strange that despite capturing me, you never recovered the data on the artifacts Ellie found decades ago?"

James frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Jesus! Do I have to spell it out to you savages? I never took the data"

"What?! If you never had the data then-"

"Think James! I already knew where these artifacts were! Why would I need to take a holotape containing it?"

"Maybe you wanted to make sure that only you knew the location"

"If I wanted to do that, I would have deleted all that data the second I got my hands on it but I think your computer experts have deciphered that someone copied the data instead of outright deleting it"

James' eyes squint. "Are you saying, Vault-Tec placed agents within our ranks?"

"Vault-Tec has agents on almost every faction in the wasteland. You think they're able to manipulate everything that ever happened here for the past hundred years without pulling a few strings?"

"But it still doesn't make sense… Why are you only talking now?"

"Because Vault-Tec knows I am a liability and an asset. Only I have access to the Vault containing the artifacts"

"How?"

"Ever heard of the first civilization?"

"The what?"

Johannes gives a sinister smile.

"What are you getting at…?" James said slowly standing up

Before the interrogation could continue, the room's doors open.

"Elder Lyons!" a Union trooper frantically said

"What's going on?"

"Sir" the trooper whispered "Several of our bases are under attack"

"What?! Where?! Who?!"

"Raven Rock, Adams Airforce Base, the Citadel, and the Castle"

"The Citadel?! Shit! Audrey and the kids!"

The vault the shakes as its alarm system goes off.

"They're here" Johannes said with a sinister smile "It's starting…"

"What?!" James said "What the hell are you blathering now?!"

"Vault-Tec is making their move… The game has begun"

Before James could respond, another Union trooper enters the room.

"Elder!" he said frantically "The prison is under attack!"

"What?! Who's attacking us?!"

"An unknown force sir! We've never seen anyone like them before! They're armed with assault rifles and laser weapons we've never seen before!"

"They're coming…" Johannes muttered

"Like hell they are!" James responded "Take this bastard back to his cell! Make sure he doesn't escape! The rest of you, battle stations! Whoever's attacking us, they're not gonna take this prison without a fight!"

The 2 guards then grab Johannes and escort him to his cell as James and several Union troopers scramble onto the frontlines.

* * *

**Vancouver, Oregano**

**4:00PM:**

In the derelict ruins of an old freeway, Rufus and his team are greeted by the sight of burning vehicles, spent bullet casings, and several bodies littering the road.

"This must be the general's convoy…" Jericho said as he checks on the bodies "Shit… What a mess…"

"Search for survivors" Rufus commanded "And look for any clues"

"Poor bastards" Jericho remarked "This looks more like the aftermath of a raider execution than a regular skirmish… Damn… Vault-Tec doesn't mess around"

Entering the APC, Rufus finds 2 badly burned bodies, both were filled with bullet holes and some scratches reminiscent of injuries from laser weapons

"Such brutality…" Rufus remarked as he checks the bodies "Not even the raiders are 'this' brutal"

Further scouring the inside of the APC, Rufus finds a holotape just under the seats.

He grabs it and plays it on his Pip-boy

* * *

_The sound of gunfire can be heard in the background_

Rufus. They came outta nowhere! Listen, I don't have much time to explain! I found some really big intel that I was supposed to share to you. But I anticipated this would happen considering how much of a revelation this intel was! So, I left behind some clues in our hideout! I placed another holotape by my desk. It should be enough to guide you. Good luck Rufus and may God help us all…

* * *

As Rufus takes the holotape out, he stares at the 2 bodies

"I hope you're not one of those bodies, Alex" he said as he exits the APC "Rangers! Form up!"

The rangers gather.

"Call in a vertibird" he said "We have to get back to Shady Sands now!"

**Shady Sands; NCR Downtown**

**The next day**

**10:30AM:**

"Wow…" Talon uttered as he sees the bustling city from the side of a vertibird "The city is so large…"

"Welcome to Shady Sands" Ellie said "Capital city of the NCR"

"It is very big" Talon replied in awe "Also, the buildings are very tall, almost similar to the pre-war ones I saw in books"

Ellie chuckles. "The Great War may have devastated civilization but humanity will recover and rebuild eventually"

"Heh… I guess she was right…"

"Who?"

"Oh Nothing"

A few minutes later, the vertibirds lands near a 3-storey structure

Inside, Wolf Pack is greeted by Rufus and his team as both teams made their way to the meeting room.

* * *

"First things first" Ellie said as they all take a seat "This is Talon. My team ran into him and he helped provide intel on that Vault-Tec Facility we found"

"Nice to meet you all" Talon said as he bows his head

"Yeah nice to meet you too" Rufus said "We don't have much time so let's all get to the point"

"Right" Ellie replied "We found several documents, holotapes, and other items of interest at the Vault-Tec Facility. Long story short, Vault-Tec manipulated almost every conflict that ever happened in California at least"

"California huh… How about the other wastelands?"

"No clue. The report we found only talked about California and a few mention D.C. a bit but that was it. Other than that, we've also gathered intel that Vault-Tec has agents within the Brotherhood and the NCR. So we best be cautious"

"Not surprising…"

"Right now, we're following a lead on a possible way to fight back"

"Ok then. Let's leave it at that"

"Right. So how about on your end?"

"The Vancouver border was undoubtedly attacked by elements of Caesar's Legion"

"Caesar's Legion?" Owen interrupted "I thought Alexander blew those sons of bitches to kingdom come years ago?"

"Whether or not this is a splinter faction, a sign of what's yet to come, or sheer coincidence, we've yet to know. What we do know is that these attackers were skilled killers. A squad of only 15 men levelled an entire base and crippled our forces there. We also suspect that Vault-Tec had a hand in this"

"Damn it…" Ellie muttered

"It gets worse" Rufus continued "General Alexander is currently MIA"

"I hear..." Ellie responded "But how? and Why?"

"I don't know… His convoy was enroute to the Vancouver base but they were attacked on the way there"

"Who attacked the convoy?"

"Don't know… No enemy bodies were recovered. Whoever these guys are, they're professional and merciless. Many of the dead were executed and the weapons used seemed to be a mix of ballistic and laser weaponry. But again, my money's on Vault-Tec"

"Shit…"

"Colonel!" a NCR radioman said, entering the room

"What is it?" Rufus replied as the radioman handed a file and leaves

Rufus eyes widen as he reads the file

"Rufus?" Clover asked "What?"

Shaken, Rufus puts the file down. He closes his eyes and exhales.

"The Union was attacked too" he said with a concerned tone

"What?!" everyone said

"Unknown forces, with access to vehicles, attacked several key bases of the Union" Rufus said, reading the file "The Citadel took the most damage"

"The Citadel?!" Ellie said in shock

"Elder James Lyons was severely injured during an attack on Vault 92. He is currently undergoing treatment"

"Vault-Tec…"

"Goddamn it…" Rufus said, clenching his fists "James…"

The room was silent for some time.

"Alright" Owen said, breaking the silence "So what now?"

"Right…" Rufus said, composing himself "Was that everything?"

"Yeah…" Ellie replied

"Ok then. For now, we each follow our respective leads and help maintain law and order around the NCR and the Union… We also have these riots to contend with. But above all else, be careful. Vault-Tec is on the move. Good luck and may God help us all"

* * *

**Later that Day:**

Wearing a merc troublemaker outfit, Rufus walks through the dark wet streets of Vault City as the rain continues to pour.

He enters a shop.

Dripping wet, Rufus walks to the front counter

"Rough day?" the clerk asked

"Well…" Rufus replied "Rainy days are ahead but some rain can still benefit us"

The clerk smiles as Rufus goes to the back.

The clerk clicks a button, placed next to an MP5k

A hidden hatch on the floor opens.

* * *

In an underground vault, Rufus walks towards a familiar room, it was Alexander's.

He goes to the general's desk and finds a picture frame. In it is a picture of Alexander, his wife, and 17 year old daughter.

"Damn it, Alex" Rufus muttered "You better be alive. Your daughter's too young to lose a father"

He then accesses Alexander's terminal. In it, he finds that a holotape was placed on the terminal.

Entitled 'contingency', Rufus clicks it.

* * *

Rufus if you're listening to this, then something happened to me.

Listen carefully. Vault-Tec has begun their counter attack. For the past few years, I've been gathering whatever intel I can find on these bastards. I tell you, it was a bitch to do.

At exactly 4:30PM on July 5th, I pieced together all the info I gathered. In the spirit of caution, I left behind a safe in our other hideout. It is voice activated and will only open when I say the code in my own voice.

It has all the intel I've gathered over the years. So obviously, there's another recording you should find. It's in an old derelict place that used to be known for Unity. Also, do note that every recording I left, has part of the code to open the safe

This recording's code is Manipulative

Good luck Rufus and may God help us

* * *

Rufus ejects the holotape.

Without a word, the Lone Wanderer goes to his room.

Inside, he opens a cabinet and sees his old armored Vault 101 jumpsuit.

As memories from his old life flash before his eyes, Rufus looks at another Vault 101 suit, which was next to his.

It was bigger than his old suit and had more armor padding and a customized vest.

"Dad…" he muttered as he grabs the other vault suit from the cabinet "… watch over my family…"


	6. Ghosts of the Past

**2078:**

Inside the dark ruins of a large derelict building somewhere in California, a lone figure, wearing a suit akin to a Chinese Stealth Suit and armed with a G36C Assault Rifle.

With his rifle raised and the night vision function of his suit on, the figure slowly made his way through the debris and finds an automatic door.

He forcibly opens the door and finds several partially decomposed bodies, all occupying most of the space in a narrow hallway, on the other side. The closest body seemingly reaching for the door…

The figure slowly moves forward, careful not to disturb the dead… Each body felt like a blade hitting the figure's heart…

He soon emerges from the hallway and finds so many bodies littering a collapsed open area of the building. It was a makeshift evacuation center...

Traversing through the area, the figure stops as he sees a heart wrenching sight…

2 bodies, decomposed beyond recognition, were hugging one another.

One seemed to be an adult and the other… a child… Based on the height, the figure deduced that the child was around 14 years old… Behind them, he notices a partially intact billboard.

It reads: "Vault-Tec: Revolutionizing safety for an uncertain future"

The figure grips his rifle tightly, trying to hold his anger, as he moves on.

After walking for a few minutes, the figure reaches a dead end, a huge metallic door blocks his path.

It looked like a bomb shelter door and bodies littered the outside, one would assume that these poor souls were left to die as the shelter doors closed…

The figure looks around and finds a terminal. Pressing a few buttons on his left arm, the figure was able to hack the terminal forcing the shelter doors to open.

As the doors slowly open, the figure cocks his rifle and moves on.

Inside, tables and furniture were neat and tidy but there was not even a single soul in sight…

The facility was dark and seemed to have no power.

It did not take long for the figure to hear activity inside.

"I heard the blast doors open" a voice echoed through the halls "Let's check it out"

Hearing this, the figure quickly retreats into the shadows as 3 individuals, armed with heavy modified M4A1s, run past him.

The figure quickly stalks the men to the entrance.

"Someone opened this…" One of the armed men said as the three separately investigate the area

The figure places his G36 in a corner and creeps towards one of the unsuspecting men.

He quickly grabs one of them and slits his throat while dragging him back into the dark parts of the area.

Still oblivious of his presence, the remaining two men continue investigating.

The figure quickly made his way to his next target.

He grabs the unsuspecting individual but the man yells, alerting his colleague.

The figure quickly snaps his neck and throws his knife, landing between his eyes.

With the area clear, the figure checks on the bodies.

He quickly notices the Vault-Tec insignia in the armor of all 3 individuals.

"Knew it" he muttered as he further examines the armor.

He eventually realizes that the armor worn by these armed men bore a striking resemblance to a prototype armor presented by West Tek years ago…

A short while later, the figure picks up his rifle and continues to moves stealthily through the area.

* * *

Reaching a large warehouse, the figure sees several Vault-Tec soldiers patrolling the area, which is now lit.

Transport vehicles were parked at the very end of the warehouse, all loaded with equipment and other items.

"Cleaning house, huh…" the figure thought

Opting to remain hidden, the figure deactivates his night vision and sticks to the shadows as he moves through the facility, avoiding contact and combat at all costs.

Eventually, the figure reaches a narrow hallway. He moves quickly, hoping that he won't run into any trouble.

As he reaches an intersection, he quickly spots a Vault-Tec guard emerge from the other hallway.

The figure quickly hides behind a wall. Seconds later, he took a peek and the individual is still there.

He waited for the Vault-Tec soldier to move to the other corridor.

As the soldier did that, the figure quickly made his way to the opposite hall.

After sneaking past more soldiers, the figure finds himself in what seems to be the command center as several individuals are sitting down behind terminals, seemingly purging their databases and files.

Wasting no time, the figure quickly makes his way to one of the unwary individuals.

He puts his rifle on his back and draws his silenced H&K MK 23.

The figure quickly goes for one of the individuals at the back of the room.

"Don't make a sound" the figure said pointing his pistol at the man "Put all the files here"

The figure then hands over a holotape to the man, who complies.

After getting back the holotape, the figure pistol whips the hapless individual, knocking him out.

He then covertly carries the body and hides it in a nearby closet.

He then checks the files uploaded into the holotape.

Plans, weapon schematics, maps. The holotape was loaded with information.

Pleased with this fortunate turn of events, the figure uses the map to look for the facility's reactor.

He presses a button on his left arm and his visor lights up as a circle appears on his upper left corner with the label: Surround Indicator written at the bottom.

Sensitive to sound, the visor enables the figure to estimate the location of the enemy soldiers via the sound of their footsteps.

Stealthily passing through heavily guarded labs and foundries, the figure eventually comes across a peculiar room.

On the outside, it looked like any other lab in the area. However, the figure had a feeling that something was off with this room and investigates further.

Entering the back room, the figure finds several bodies sprawled against the wall.

They were all wearing either a lab coat, suits, or BDUs.

It was the aftermath of an execution…

The figure did not utter a word. He simply did a sign of the cross and moves on.

Sometime later, he makes it to the reactor.

He deactivates his Surround Indicator and quickly plants explosives around the reactor.

Just as the bomb's timer begins its countdown, the figure feels a looming sense of dread.

He turns around and quickly pushes his would-be assailant's rifle, an AN-94, upwards.

A few bullets were fired.

The figure quickly brought out his knife and stabs the soldier several times in the chest, killing him.

Unfortunately, the entire base was alerted to the sound of gunfire as several Vault Tec soldier converge on the figure's position.

The figure quickly grabs his G36 and proceeds to fight his way through the base.

* * *

"He's over here!" a Vault Tec soldier cried out as they open fire

Hiding behind a wall, the figure checks his timer.

"3:30" it says.

With little time left, the figure throws a flashbang towards the enemy forces.

The grenade succeeds in stunning his adversaries as the figure charges forward, opening fire on the stunned enemies.

Reaching the control room, the figure is pinned down behind the upper consoles as more enemy soldiers converge on his location.

The figure quickly moves from cover to cover, firing a few bursts in between.

The enemy soldiers slowly but surely close the distance to the figure, who has been hiding behind cover for some time.

With a nod, the soldiers quickly move and shoot at the figure, which turns out to be a hologram.

They pick up the disk that created the hologram as they notice too late that the figure had reached the door and locks it behind them.

In the warehouse area, the figure hastens his pace as he checks the timer which reads "0:46"

With more enemy soldiers entering the fray, the figure quickly throws a smoke grenade to cover his escape as a hail of bullets rain on the area.

Reaching the blast doors and with only 30 seconds left, the figure quickly accesses the outside terminal to close the doors.

The yellow alarm light comes alive as the doors slowly close.

The figure uses the doors as cover as he engages the enemy soldiers coming from the facility.

The doors were nearly closed as the timer runs out. The earth shakes as explosions can be heard from afar.

The figure then throws a frag grenade towards the enemy soldiers, who duck behind cover.

The doors eventually close shut as a force from the inside causes him to step back and lose a bit of his balance.

The figure then draws a cross in the dirt before leaving the area…

**Sometime later:**

Reaching the top part of the derelict building, the lone figure looks at the destruction that befell the city as irradiated winds blow through the cloudy landscape, with not a single ray of sunlight in sight.

He soon sees the remains of a flagpole. On top of it were the fluttering remains of 2 flags, one from the defunct state of California and, below it, West Tek.

* * *

**2312**

**Broken Hills (Downtown)**

**Midday:**

Under the heat of the blistering sun, Rufus wanders into the long abandoned mining town…

Wearing his father's customized Vault 101 suit alongside a brown trench coat, a blue bandanna over his face and armed with a R91 assault rifle, he presses onward into the town alone.

He stops midway and runs into one of the old buildings as several shots rain down on his position.

Crouching behind a wall, Rufus peeks through an open window and sees several raiders, each armed with different firearms.

"Well. Well. Well" one of the raiders said firing at Rufus' position "Pretty shitty timing for you to end up getting lost"

Rufus returns fire, prompting the raiders to take cover as well.

"A fighter" a female raider remarked "I'm gonna enjoy splattering your remains!"

Seeing a small crack in the wall, Rufus quickly goes prone and crawls through the hole, going to the adjacent building.

He crouches and takes cover behind an old door.

Looking through a hole, he sees the raiders surrounding the building he was in.

"Come out, little mouse!" a raider shouted "Make it easy for yourself and just give up. I'll make it quick, I promise"

Rufus then brings out a suppressor and attaches it to his rifle as the raider continues to taunt him.

He gets into position near a window, readies his rifle, and fires a single shot.

The bullet pierces the taunting raider's head, alerting his allies.

"What?!" another raider shouted "Where'd that come from?!"

Rufus fires again, killing another raider.

"Shit! He's hiding in one of those buildings! Burn him out!"

The raiders quickly scramble, throwing grenades into the first building.

As the raiders neared Rufus' position, the ranger slings his rifle and brings out a 10mm pistol.

Before the raiders could even pull the pin, Rufus bursts through the glass window.

He flicks his left wrist and stabs the unsuspecting raider in the neck. He then fired his pistol on the 2 other raiders, killing them, as the rest open fire on him.

Rufus quickly takes cover behind some old mining equipment.

The raiders rain heavy fire on Rufus' position, all the while walking slowly towards him.

Sensing this, Rufus brings out a grenade he stole from one of the raiders.

He pulls the pin and throws it at the raiders, who quickly jump out of the way.

Rufus quickly broke cover and fired his rifle on the raiders, killing the exposed ones first.

The raiders return fire as Rufus runs from cover to cover.

It did not take long for him to reach the remaining raiders and engaged them in melee combat.

They were quickly decimated by Rufus' superior skills in combat.

With the area clear, Rufus resumes his investigation of the abandoned town.

He accesses his Pip-boy for a moment as a marker appears on his map.

**Broken Hills (Residential):**

Following the map marker, Rufus in front of a building entangled by plant vines and foliage.

Carefully entering the building, Rufus finds the inside of the building almost completely devoid of light.

"Thick foliage…" Rufus muttered, turning on his Pip-Boy light "Huh… Couldn't have found a more comforting hiding spot, Alex?"

Going through the building, Rufus ends up in what appears to be a backyard.

It didn't take long for the wanderer to be confronted by a spore plant.

He readies his rifle but the mutant plant did not attack him.

It was a few minutes of silence with the two adversaries staring at one another.

Suddenly, the spore plant spoke. "So what will you do?"

Rufus' eyes widen. "Huh?"

"You heard me" the plant spoke again "Will you shoot me?"

"Uh…"

"Ha! I see that you are not like those brainless raiders there!"

"Brainless raiders?"

"You see, my good fellow, after the town was abandoned, I was left here, alone, for years. I was lonely, you know. Then this band of humans came. I was so excited to finally have human contact but I quickly realized that they were beyond friendly. Luckily, they did not draw near as the foliage in this building was enough to deter them"

"A sociable plant… Wow… I guess there IS a first time for everything"

"Anyway, why are you here?"

"Uh… I was following a marker on my map. You didn't happen to interact with a middle-aged gentleman, did you?"

"You know Mr. Alexander?"

"Right… So you did interact with him…"

"So you must be Rufus then"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Seymour"

"Right well… I'm guessing you know where he hid the item I want"

"As a matter of fact, I do. He put it inside a Vault-Tec Lunchbox and buried it over there by the old wooden barrels"

"Typical…"

Rufus then proceeds to dig through and eventually, finds the lunchbox.

He quickly opens it, grabs the holotape, and proceeds to play it.

* * *

Nice work getting part 2, Rufus.

Now, I'll start from the beginning. After the NCR campaign on D.C. ended 5 years ago, we all found out about the NCR's experiments on live humans and non-feral ghouls.

We know they produced the Black Suits and those other abominations.

Oliver's statements and documents were enough proof to convince the public but the rest of the data went missing. Do you remember that?

Their origins, the head honcho of the entire operation, the one who pioneered the entire experiment in the first place… They all disappeared…

Not to mention that countless NCR citizens, scientists, politicians, and military personnel were murdered in cold blood, Oliver included.

Not one of those cases were ever solved… No one knows who killed them and why.

I think you should already know the answer to this.

It's Vault-Tec. They knew we were on to them so they cleaned house.

I know it's not over yet. They still have their manipulative hands running deep within the NCR.

We may have had a reelection and new people may have taken power but not every one of them has great intentions.

Watch yourself, Rufus. Trust only those who you truly believe in.

Unfortunately, we can't completely trust our own government yet.

God Speed.

Now, the code for this one is Abusive

By the way, how did you like Broken Hills? That place used to be a symbol of unity between super mutants, ghouls, and humans.

Sad that it was abandoned just because the nearby uranium mines were dried out…

Anyway, part 3 is located in an old farm where 'ghosts' were rumored to be walking around.

Happy hunting!

* * *

As the recording ends, Rufus approaches the spore plant.

"So" the plant said "Since you are here then that means something happened to Mr. Alexander"

"Yes" Rufus replied

"That's sad… But I hope you will catch whoever did that to him and bring them to justice"

"I will. I swear it"

"What will you do now?"

"I have my next destination on hand"

"Take care, friend. Mr. Alexander spoke highly of you"

"How long have you interacted with Alex?"

"Years actually. He was the only one who ever talked to me ever since the town was abandoned"

"Wait. I thought you said you were lonely for years"

"I was. The last kind human who talked to me replanted me here. She was a nice girl. I hear she ended up saving the world"

"Saving the world huh… But how did Alex get past those raiders?"

"That's easy. He had a stealth boy. Raiders are not exactly known for their intelligence, now are they?"

"You have a point"

"You be careful now"

"Thank you. I'll be sure to bring Alex here when all this is over"

"That would be mighty kind of you. Actually, if you can bring this whole town back that'd be great too"

Rufus smiles and waves goodbye to the friendly spore plant.

* * *

**Navarro (former Enclave Military Base):**

**Barracks**

**8:30pm:**

Inside the mess hall, the members of Wolf Pack were playing a rousing game of cards.

"A queen" Owen said placing a card face down on the table

"Bullshit, Owen" Marta quickly called

"Bullshit?" Owen responded "Damn it, Marta. You always accuse me of bullshitting in this game!"

"That's cuz you ARE full of shit!"

"That hurts, you know. I may be a man that enjoys battles but I still have emotions and feelings too, you know!"

"Yeah. Yeah. Cry me a river. Now show me your card!"

"Tch…"

Owen then reveals his card, which turns out to be the Queen of hearts.

"So?" Owen said with a smug look "Am I still full of shit?"

"Yes" Marta said getting all the cards in the pile.

"King" Vivian said putting down a card "Anyway, you guys notice that Ellie and Talon are taking their time down in the medical labs?"

"I know right?" Owen replied "I know it's to check on Talon's condition but geez… They took up the entire day"

"Maybe Talon's mutation is not as simple as we think?" Jonas theorized

"That is true but…" Owen responded "… Why did we all have to go on standby? The four of us could have followed up on our lead already"

"That proves exactly why you're full of shit" Marta added

"What?!"

"Think, 'genius'. Vault-Tec doesn't mess around. We already lost Dallas. I don't think Ellie is willing to risk any more unnecessary losses just to get back at Vault-Tec"

"That is true" Vivian added "My dad told me stories about Ellie once. He described her as being devoid of empathy and very devoted to the Enclave's cause"

"One's perception is affected by their environment and upbringing" Jonas interjected "Ellie's experiences throughout the decades have changed her for the better, at least in my eyes"

"Alright enough with the sappy crap" Owen interrupted "Let's get back to the game. Jonas, your turn"

**Medical Labs:**

"These are some very interesting finds" Ellie said as she looks at several files in her terminal

"What did you find out?" Talon asked

"Your mutation is the result of another modified strain of the FEV. But this strain is rather old and primitive, you're actually lucky you didn't end up becoming a mindless super mutant. Something in your body caused the virus to form a symbiosis with them. The result is not only your arm but also your physical traits as well. Becoming stronger, more perceptive, and not to mention your wounds heal almost as fast as mine"

"So… What does this mean exactly?"

"Basically, you're a unique case. Normally, you should have turned into a super mutant but instead of doing that, the virus harmonized with your body. About your arm, it's not just a lump of mutated flesh but rather a carapace akin to a mirelurk's. It has a hard outer shell that, based on my findings, can withstand tremendous forces. In lay man terms, it means that you can use your arm not only as a weapon but also as a shield. Now, I'm formulating a serum so that you can suppress the FEV strain inside of you in order for you to be able to utilize a normal human left arm"

"What? You can do that?"

"I'm still formulating but if done right, I should be able to create a serum that would act as an inhibitor so that you won't have to constantly live with a mutated arm for the rest of your days"

"I am grateful for this but are we not on a mission? Should we not proceed with our next objective? Vault-Tec will not let us wait"

Ellie stopped for a moment and was silent. She laid her head low and was in deep thought.

"Ellie?" Talon called

"I lost a good friend to Vault-Tec because I was careless. Underestimating your enemy is the greatest mistake anyone could ever make. It may look like I'm being too cautious but it must be done. Don't get me wrong. We will strike back at Vault-Tec eventually. But if we are to succeed, we must not do things hastily lest we trip on the finish line"

"I understand. I'm sorry for bringing it up"

"It's ok. Now, let's get back to formulating that serum"

"Right!"

* * *

**Hallowed Moors Cemetery:**

**Midnight:**

Johannes, wearing leather armor, walks into the dark abandoned chapel.

He sits down in a corner to rest, lighting a cigarette.

Seconds later, an individual, wearing Chinese Stealth Armor, uncloaks in front of the former rebel leader.

"Do you know why I'm here?" the individual asked with a menacing tone

"I'm not sure" Johannes replied puffing a smoke "Either you're here to kill me or ask for my assistance. Which one is it?"

"You know where the artifacts are, correct?"

"Yes. But I'm sure you all know that by now"

The individual did not respond.

"Judging from the fact that you came hunting for me and did not kill me on sight means that you can't access it"

"Yes. And you know how to open it, right?"

"Maybe. The vault is locked pretty well. Whoever made that vault, really wanted those items to be kept a secret"

"Mr. Oppenheim has offered you a second chance. You are to find a way to access the vault and deliver the artifacts to him. Take too long and your life is forfeit. Am I clear?"

Johannes laughs for a moment. "Crystal clear, chief. I'll find a way to open your vault"

"Do not fail us again"

The individual then disappears into the night.

Finishing up his cigarette, Johannes brings out an old photo of him, Gerard, and Ellie.

"The good ol days, eh Gerard?" Johannes muttered "The players have begun their moves… I wonder what will happen this time. Will we have a repeat of the mistakes of the past? Or will a different ending surface?"

The Vault-Tec conspirator then lights another cigarette as he looks into the night sky.


	7. Crisis

**Outskirts of Modoc; Ghost Farm:**

The sun was setting in a field filled with various crops but not a single soul was in sight.

"Very subtle, Alex" Rufus thought, walking through the cornfield

After finally emerging from the cornfield, the lone wanderer notices several 'bodies' crucified along the road leading to a small shack.

"Nice trick" Rufus monologues wiping his finger on the blood soaked bodies "Have a lot of Brahmin, I see… Still a waste of food though…"

Rufus then walks towards the shack.

He knocks on the door, which slowly opens on its own.

Suspicious, Rufus readies his rifle and slowly enters the shack.

Save for a few pieces of furniture, the shack was empty.

After closing the front door, Rufus kneels down and moves a rug, revealing a trapdoor.

He opens it, seeing a barely lit cave under.

The lone wanderer looks around the area outside the shack, noticing a slight movement in the cornfields.

Ignoring what he saw, Rufus does a leap of faith, dropping down a few feet.

Before hitting the bottom, the lone wanderer turns to his back, safely landing on a pile of hay.

Emerging from the hay, Rufus is confronted by 3 hooded figures.

For a few seconds, Rufus stares at the 3 hooded individuals, ready for a fight.

Rufus reaches for his pocket while the 3 figures flick their wrists.

The lone wanderer presents a medallion with the Assassins' Insignia.

"Ah, welcome Master Assassin" one of the figures said, disengaging his hidden blades.

"Hello" Rufus replied "Is the mentor here?"

"Yes. She's over there"

The hooded individual points to the farthest part of the cave.

Rufus follows his comrade's directions, eventually ending up in a small room.

"Ah… If it isn't the 'lone wanderer'" a brown-haired woman said "Came to pick up your package?"

"Yes" Rufus replied as the woman rummages her stuff for a holotape "I'm surprised Alexander managed to come into contact with the Brotherhood"

"Actually, Polonsky was the one who dropped this off. Here"

"That makes sense… Thanks"

Rufus grabs the holotape.

He prepares to play it as a man walks into the room.

"What is it?" the mentor asked

"We have several unidentified individuals on the surface" the man replied

Concerned, Rufus goes with the other assassins to the surface.

Using another secret passage, the assassins stealthily move through the fields.

There, Rufus quickly identifies the intruders.

Clad in a familiar decal of red and yellow, the intruders looked like Roman soldiers from ages past.

Sensing danger, Rufus covertly orders them killed.

* * *

**Navarro:**

Meanwhile, Ellie finishes administering the serum on Talon, reverting his mutation enough to be able to have a functional arm and hand.

"Wow…" Talon said looking at his left arm "… It worked"

"Great" Ellie replied "Your arm still retains some features from your claw form. But you can now turn it into a shield, blade, claw, and a normal arm. All you have to do is think hard"

"Thank you"

"No problem"

As the members of Wolf Pack were getting ready to set out, a NCR trooper approaches the squad.

"Commander Neumann" the trooper reported "Ma'am you're needed at the command center"

"What's going on?" Ellie replied

"Colonel Polonsky is on the line. He reports that Vault City is under attack"

"What?!"

Anxious, Ellie quickly goes to the command center, which was in a bit of disarray as the operators seem to be struggling to make sense of the countless reports coming in.

"Polonsky" Ellie said, opening a comm channel from her console "What's going on?"

"Not good" Polonsky replied "We have a huge crowd of enemy troops! They've overrun the NCR detachment in the area! We're holed up in the council building. I got a priority one package here! We need reinforcements and we need them now!"

"Polonsky. Who's with you?"

"The president and 4 senators. We don't ha-have m-much t-time-"

"Polonsky? Polonsky, come in. Damn it!" Ellie said turning on the base's PA system "All available personnel, prepare for battle. I say again all available personnel prepare for battle. This is not a drill!"

"Commander!" one of the command center operators said "We're receiving reports that Shady Sands, San Francisco, Modoc, and Arroyo are under attack!"

"What?!"

"NCR troops stationed in each settlement report that they are slowly being overwhelmed"

"Goddamn it! What of the Brotherhood and other NCR detachments?"

"Elder Maxson has mobilized the Brotherhood of Steel to defend the settlements. NCR's Heavy Infantry Corps has been mobilized to defend Shady Sands and San Francisco. The Rangers were deployed at Modoc and Arroyo. And 1st Recon has been sent to Vault City."

"Ok… What of our own troops?"

"12 squads are standing by, ma'am. Notably, the Control Company, Sigma Squadron, and Wolf Pack are awaiting your orders"

"Very good. Send the Control Company and 4 squads to San Francisco. Another 4 will defend Shady sands with Sigma Squadron. Wolf Pack and the rest goes with me to Vault City"

"Acknowledged!"

The situation was dire.

Like with their allies in the east, unknown forces orchestrated a series of attacks throughout the Republic and the results was utter devastation.

The Enclave forces in Navarro scrambled to defend the overrun NCR and Brotherhood forces throughout California, leaving a skeleton crew to man the base.

**Vault City:**

On board their vertibirds, the responding Enclave troops had a clear sight of the destruction unfolding…

Brotherhood squads engage the enemy by the town's entrance.

Downtown is burning as fragmented NCR squads desperately fight the hordes of enemies upon them.

The council building was surrounded as the entrenched troops try desperately to halt the enemy's advance.

And the Vault, itself, has been breached as enemy soldiers begin entering the premises.

"Shit…" Owen said "They really did a number on this place"

"Cut the chatter" Ellie said "I want 2 squads to support the Brotherhood forces in the entrance. Another 2 in downtown to unite the scattered NCR forces and Wolf Pack will secure the council building"

"We're not going to try and secure the Vault?" Jonas asked

"We're stretched thin as it is. We can't risk dividing our forces too much"

"Understood"

The reinforcements quickly went to their assigned objectives as the enemy forces began to slowly retreat to the Vault.

"Hold on!" the vertibird pilot said as the aircraft tilts to the left "Enemy missile lock!"

"Flares! Flares!" his co-pilot said, deploying flares

"Vivian! Marta!" Ellie shouted as a missile narrowly misses the vertibird

"Right!" the two responded, quickly making their way to the right of the aircraft

Vivian draws her Barret while Marta mans the minigun.

The two soldiers lay down heavy suppressive fire upon the enemies with deadly precision and accuracy.

**A few minutes later:**

Wolf pack reaches the vicinity of the council building as the NCR troops slowly gained some ground.

"Polonsky!" Ellie said over the radio "Backup has arrived!"

"Finally!" Polonsky replied "Bear Force One is down and those bastards got the building surrounded! Any help would really be appreciated!"

"Got it! We're dropping down next to you, so hold your fire to the right!"

"Copy!"

The vertibird moves to the front of the building, dropping ropes down next to the NCR barricade.

"Wolf Pack! Let's Go! Go! Go!" Ellie shouted as her team drops down, minus Vivian who provides sniper support.

Talon hesitates for a moment as he grabs the rope, thinking deeply to himself…

"Talon?" Vivian said "What are you doing? Get down there"

"Oh" the young man said, snapping back to reality "Y-Yes. Of course!"

Wolf Pack quickly takes cover by the sandboxes, supporting the remnant NCR forces.

It was an intense fight with no end in sight as both sides were firing with everything they've got but failing to advance at every turn.

The enemy's sheer numbers prevented the NCR from advancing and the NCR's skillful tactics kept the enemy at bay.

"Welp" Owen said "I think we can safely say these guys are from the Legion"

"What makes you say that?" Marta asked

"Other than the plainly obvious uniform and combat gear they're wearing, their tactics and battle style are almost identical to how the Legion used to fight decades ago"

"Cut the chatter, you two" Ellie interrupted

Hiding behind a pillar, Talon hesitates as bullets fly past him.

"Talon? Talon! TALON!"

Talon once again snaps back to reality, hearing Ellie call him.

"Talon!" she said "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing…" he replied looking at his left arm

The young man clenches his fist, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath.

The second he opens them, the young man breaks cover and concentrates his thoughts. His arm quickly mutates and turns into a shield.

Talon was taken aback from the sudden transformation but quickly returns to the battle at hand.

The young man leads the charge as Wolf Pack and the remaining NCR troopers charge towards the enemy lines.

Talon was amazed that he was feeling no pain despite hundreds of bullets hitting his mutated arm.

"Stop" Ellie commanded as Talon stops midway into the charge.

"Why?" he asked

Ellie winks at the young man, turning to the other members of Wolf Pack. She nods at them as she, Owen, and Jonas each throws a flash grenade at different directions.

The grenades stun most of the frontline forces.

Owen and Ellie break cover, each engaging the enemy at melee range.

Ellie makes quick work with her hidden blades, opting to use a quick slash to the throat or a stab to the center of the chest.

While Owen uses his machete to decimate the enemy ranks, one after another.

Jonas and Marta attack the enemies in the back of the line with Jonas using his GP-25 grenade launcher and Marta using her M249 SAW to make quick work of the crowded enemies.

"Ellie" Vivian said after hitting one enemy in the head "I'm seeing 2 enemy T-45d power armors headed your way!"

"T-45s?!" Ellie responded as rockets begin to hammer Wolf Pack's position "Well this just keeps getting better and better!"

"Miniguns and Shoulder-mounted rockets" Jonas said looking through his binoculars "Legion or not, these are too advanced even on the Brotherhood's standards!"

"Vivian!" Ellie said reloading her rifle "EMP!"

"Got it" Vivian responded, picking up a missile launcher

The sniper fires the missile, hitting right in the middle of the 2 enemy power armors.

The rocket releases sparks of electricity, disabling the 2 power armors.

Jonas fires a smoke grenade from his GP-25, covering most of the forward area in a thick blanket of smoke.

Wolf Pack breaks cover and attacks the disoriented enemies.

Using her eagle vision, Ellie leads the charge as the enemy forces were quickly defeated by the advancing NCR forces.

Reaching the two disabled power armors, Ellie and Talon, with his claw, uses brute force to open both power armors, neutralizing the hapless soldiers inside.

Vivian switches the heat vision of her scope, easily picking off exposed enemy units.

Owen and Marta emerge from the smoke and engage the enemy forces in Downtown, supported by Brotherhood, NCR, and Enclave reinforcements.

After what seemed to be hours, the stalemate was finally broken with NCR troops successfully securing the perimeter of the council building and Downtown, enabling Enclave Vertibirds to evacuate the president and other civilians.

"Where are you going?" Ellie asked, seeing Polonsky board one of the Vertibirds

"Headed towards Gecko. That's where we're evacuating the civilians. I need to make sure that place is secured. Can you spare a few troops there too?"

"Gladly" Ellie said, commanding 2 squads of Enclave troops to fortify Gecko "Be careful out there, Polonsky"

"You too, Ellie"

As the last vertibirds flies away, Ellie rallies the combined forces of the NCR, Brotherhood, and Enclave.

They begin their push towards the Vault, the last area still under the enemy's control.

**Vault 8 (Level 1):**

With Talon using his shield, the coalition forces push through a long steel corridor.

It was a slow advance but the coalition forces were gaining ground nonetheless.

Reaching the airlock door, the enemy forces open fire furiously from the other side.

"I need some power armor over here!" Ellie commanded as 3 Brotherhood Paladins in T-60 power armor answer her call "Clear a path for our forces to advance!"

The Paladins nod as they go through the vault's door.

Bullets rained on the 3 paladins who stood firm and fired their respective miniguns, decimating the enemy defenders.

The Vault was finally breached as coalition forces slowly pushed the enemy deeper into the vault.

Reaching the living quarters, the coalition forces were gaining ground fast. It was only a matter of time before they could trap the enemy forces at the final level.

"More power armor!" Jonas reported as 2 red bulky power armors emerge from one of the rooms.

"Focus fire on them!" Ellie commanded as her allies opened fire on the 2 power armors.

Unfortunately, the small arms fire from their rifles and machine guns proved ineffective in denting the armor.

They soon point their wrist mounted weapons at the coalition forces.

"Fall back!" Ellie shouted as the enemy soldiers release a stream of fire upon them.

Not hesitating, Talon charges towards the two soldiers, turning his arm into a shield.

Unlike the bullets, Talon could feel the pain of the fire hitting his skin.

Despite this, the young man resists the pain through sheer force of will and rams his arm into one of the soldiers.

Ellie takes the opportunity to charge towards the other soldier.

She quickly catches the enemy soldier off-guard, placing several sticky grenades on the joints of the suit which detonate shortly after.

"Nice to see that these things have the same weaknesses as regular power armor" Ellie said as the enemy power armor collapses on its own weight.

Meanwhile, Talon quickly changes his arm into a blade.

The enemy soldier blocks Talon's blade with the power armor's arms.

They momentarily stop the young man's mutated blade but were the soldier's efforts were futile as the young man manages to cut both arms off.

With both power armors disabled, the coalition forces resume their assault, further pushing to the 3rd level.

* * *

**Ghost Farm:**

Meanwhile, the battle in Modoc and Ghost Farm was slowly dying down as the responding coalition forces finally rout the enemy forces.

In the now bloody fields of the Ghost Farm, Rufus examines the bodies of the enemy forces.

"Their uniform…" he monologues "… Definitely Caesar's Legion. But how… Why?"

"Hey, wanderer" the mentor said, approaching Rufus "Any idea on how these bastards knew where we were?"

"I'm guessing they followed me" Rufus replied "I had a feeling I was being followed since I started collecting Alex's tapes"

"Knowing that… You led them straight to one of our hideouts?"

"Exactly"

"Goddamn, Rufus… If you haven't proven your credentials to this Brotherhood, I'd have slashed you with my hidden blade already"

"Well… You, of all people, should know how I work"

"I know… I know. I guess this means it's time to evacuate the hideout"

"No… The Slags and the people of Modoc will be prime targets for these people. Legion or not, Vault-Tec will definitely come calling soon"

"Are you saying we must stay here and endanger the Branch?"

"Don't you think the Brotherhood has done enough running? If we are to fight Vault-Tec, we should be more direct. They're not Templars and we can't easily get to them…"

The mentor thought to herself for a moment but before she could reply, an apprentice approaches the two.

"Mentor" he said panting "A transmission is going through the radio waves"

"Transmission?" the mentor wondered as Rufus quickly accesses the radio on his Pip-Boy.

**Vault 8 (Level 3):**

Trapped, outnumbered, and running out of supplies, the remaining enemy forces opted to surrender.

The battle was over and Vault City was secured.

Exiting the Vault, Ellie and Wolf Pack were getting ready to rest a bit…

"Ellie" Vivian said approaching Ellie "You have got to listen to this"

"What?" Ellie said as she follows Ellie to a nearby tent.

Several coalition soldiers surround a radio as a transmission seems to be going through…

* * *

**2078:**

A brown-haired man, wearing a business suit, walks through a hallway.

He glances about, staring at a few paintings and decorations as he walked.

Eventually, he finds himself in front of a big door.

His heart was pounding, fast.

He exhales and swallows his nervousness as he opens the door.

It looked like a meeting room, with 6 older gentlemen seated around the table.

They were staring at the young man and whispering.

A bit nervous, the young man takes his seat as a tall gentleman enters the room.

"Gentlemen" the man said "I regret to inform you all that Mr. Karl Sanderson, the CEO of West Tek, has passed away"

"What?!" one of the older gentlemen said "Alec. How did this happen?"

"My men were evacuating him and the rest of the West Tek staff stationed in California when an intruder came and murdered all of them by detonating the reactor"

"Barbaric… Could it be that our enemies survived the Great War?"

"It is a possibility. Nevertheless, this is merely a small inconvenience. I will not allow one man to sully our plans for the new world. As we speak, our scientists and researchers scattered throughout the various vaults are conducting countless experiments to better our race and enable only the worthy to inherit the new world! Their sacrifice and dedication must not be wasted. In line with this, I would like to introduce Karl's successor. His son, Joseph Sanderson. You have my condolences for the loss of your father…"

"Th-Thank you, Mr. Oppenheim" the young man replied

"Will he represent West Tek?" the older gentleman asked

"Yes" Oppenheim replied "Back to the topic at hand. This incident has shown us that there are still cockroaches that survived our little nuclear war. It is time that we begin planning on how to deal with them"

* * *

**2312:**

Ellie and Vivian walk closer to the crowd as a man, with a deep menacing voice, seems to be transmitting something through the radio.

"Dogs of the New California Republic" he said "You have grown arrogant. You think that you are the superior government, continuously expanding your lands beyond those that are rightfully yours. You lie, cheat, and steal to get your way. You step on those that do not adhere to your rule. And most importantly, you have no honor. Today is only the beginning of our righteous war against your republic! We shall cleanse this land of your filth! Your corruption! Caesar lives on! The Legion is undying! And WE SHALL HAVE OUR VENGEANCE!"

The ground then begins to shake.

Before anyone could say a word, a flash of light shines in the distance. Ellie and the others instinctively cover their eyes.

Nervous, Ellie slowly puts her hands down and opens her eyes.

She is greeted with a grim sight…

A mushroom cloud… In front of her.

"Shit. Shit… Shit!" she exclaimed, realizing where the explosion came from "Polonsky! Polonsky!"

She begins to breathe heavily as no one was responding.

"Epsilon Squadron. Alpha Squadron. Come in. Anyone! Fucking respond!"

No one. The radio was dead silent.

Shaking, Ellie drops her radio as she stares at the mushroom cloud.


	8. Aftermath

**2312:**

**Lost Hills Bunker**

Arthur Maxson enters the council chamber, met by several Brotherhood Sentinels and Scribes.

"What happened?" he asked sitting down

"Elder" one of the Sentinels reported "3 hours ago, hostile foes, later identified to be Caesar's Legion, sabotaged the Gecko Power Plant causing a nuclear meltdown"

"Casualties?"

"We estimate at least 100 Gecko residents, 14 Enclave soldiers, 25 NCR troopers, 3 Initiates, 2 Knights, one Knight Sergeant, Paladin Roy, and Star Paladin Sambile"

"All dead?"

"Most are… Those that survived are suffering from severe Radiation poisoning. The ghouls, on the other hand, suffered severe burns and injuries brought by the explosion"

"Damn… What is the NCR's response?"

"Elder" one of the head scribes reported "The NCR has begun mobilizing their military. They asked for the support of the Brotherhood and Enclave in their campaign"

"Hmm… Where is Caesar's Legion?"

"They captured the city of Dayglow. Their forces are slowly moving north. The NCR is currently establishing a forward base near the ruins of a pre-war suburb in Menifee"

"So… They plan to intercept the Legion there…"

Maxson closes his eyes and rests his fingers on his chin.

He ponders for a few minutes as the Sentinels and Scribes look at one another, perplexed as to what to do.

"What shall we do, Elder?" one of the Sentinels asked

"Nothing" the Elder answered opening his eyes and placing both hands on the table "We will provide no aid to the NCR's campaign"

"What?" one of the Sentinels said with her eyes wide open "Elder. Are you sure about this? The Legion has proven to be a formidable threat. We have already lost brothers and sisters to them. Why-"

"That's enough, Sentinel. The Brotherhood will not be part of this campaign. Those of you who still wish to avenge our fallen brethren are free to do so but you will be acting as mercenaries with no affiliation with the Brotherhood. Am I clear?"

"Yes Elder" everyone responded

"Very good. Head Scribe Marna. What is the status of our project?"

"Going very well, Elder" the head scribe reported "Given enough time, resources, and luck, this project will be complete in less than a year"

Maxson smiles. "Very good"

* * *

**2078:**

**Rocky Mountains, Washington State Area:**

A man, wearing an advanced suit akin to a Chinese Stealth Suit, walks up the ruins of an old rocky path.

The clouds cover every corner of the sky as a fierce radiation storm rages throughout the area.

He cocks his G36c as someone calls him.

"Hey"

The man looks behind him as 4 other individuals, 2 wearing a suit similar to his and the other 2 wearing gas masks and thick military apparel.

"Hey Captain. Are we there yet?" one of the men in military apparel asked "This storm's not exactly being nice to my skin"

"I thought you got used to it already, Paul?" one of the men in suits replied "Too delicate for this weather?"

"Shut up, Charles" the man responded "It's not like we're all wearing hostile environment suits now, don't we?"

"Haha!" Charles replied "Come on, Jane's doing pretty fine and she's not even wearing the suits"

"Don't involve me on this" Jane responded "Anyway, remind me again what we're doing here?"

"According to the data I took from West Tek" the Captain replied "There's a bunker nearby owned by Wattz Electronics. It says Oppenheim wants everyone in that bunker dead"

"Everyone?" Paul wondered "Why would Vault-Tec want their own allies dead?"

"The data doesn't say anything… But Oppenheim isn't one to actually share anything. I reckon he's killing those who either outlived their usefulness or no longer follow his orders"

"What makes you say that?" the other one wearing the suit asked

"During my infiltration of West-Tek's bunker, I found several West-Tek employees lined up to a wall and based on that, it was a firing squad execution. Among the dead was West-Tek's CEO, Karl Sanderson"

"That is weird… Found any clues as to why?"

"Nothing. West-Tek had close ties with Vault-Tec for decades. I won't be surprised if Sanderson was part of Oppenheim's little coalition… But yeah… The real question is why would Oppenheim kill his own allies?"

As the radiation storm gets more intense, gunfire erupts from the distance.

"Looks like we're just in time…" the other one wearing the suit uttered cocking his ACR

"Lock and Load" the Captain said cocking his G36c

Paul, Jane, and Charles cock their respective rifles; a M16A4, a SIG 550, and an AN-94.

They all run towards the ensuing fight.

* * *

**2312:**

**Navarro; Commander's Quarters:**

Ellie reads the recent reports sent to her by field agents in the irradiated remains of Gecko.

"Damn it…!" she muttered drinking a cup of coffee

Suddenly, her ham radio picks up a transmission.

"Ellie. Ellie"

The Enclave leader turns to the ham radio. "Rufus? Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for 2 days!"

"Sorry" the Lone Wanderer replied "I've been following up on my lead with Alex"

"Right… So I think you already heard about Gecko"

"Yeah… How bad is the damage?"

"It's nothing but an irradiated crater now…"

"Fuck…"

"The NCR is mobilizing their troops against the Legion"

"Where's the Legion coming from?"

"Dayglow"

"Right… So the NCR asked for the Enclave's support?"

"Yes. I'm currently meeting with my commanders and-"

"Don't send anything"

"What?"

"Let the NCR fight this campaign. Focus on our actual objective"

"But Rufus! Civilians have died because of the Legion! Not just the ones from Gecko but those from Dayglow too!"

"Leave. The Legion. Alone. No discussion. Am I clear?"

"Since when do you call the shots here?"

"Ever since Alex disappeared and Vault-Tec killing our friends one-by-one"

"So what? We're just gonna let the Legion overrun California?"

"That just means that we have to hurry"

"What?"

"Look. Just trust me on this. We will not help in the campaign. Not a single squad will be sent to fight"

"Why?"

"Ellie. 5 years ago, you've kept on asking that same question. And like that time, I'll give you the same answer. So as much as I'd love to enlighten you on my findings, we got other problems"

"Pfft… That exact same line? Really?"

"What can I say, I'm a guy who likes one-liners"

"Fine… I'll make sure the Enclave stays out of this but you better give me a good explanation when the time comes"

"When have I NOT done that?"

Ellie sighs. "Yeah… Fine..."

"Exactly. So just be patient, be a good little puppy, and follow my orders"

"Who are you calling a 'little puppy'?!"

"Haha! Just a little joke. Anyway, I gotta go. Be careful, Ellie"

"Yeah… You too, Rufus"

The transmission ends.

Ellie rests her head on her right palm as she sighs.

"What the hell is going on…?" she muttered sipping her coffee

As she returns to reading the reports, Talon, who was listening in, stares at his left palm.

He sighs, closes his palm, and walks away.

* * *

**2078:**

The 5 soldiers assemble just outside the bunker as the sound of laser and gunfire echo through the halls.

"Kira. Charles" the Captain said as Charles and the other soldiers wearing the suit attach suppressors to their rifles

They nod at one another before entering the facility, guns drawn.

The two soldiers crouch and lead the way with the rest following close behind.

They soon enter a large open hall with Vault-Tec soldiers hiding behind pillars & makeshift cover on one end and several armed Wattz employees & automated defenses on the other.

"What do we do, Captain?" Kira asked as they hide behind a wall, at the back of Vault-Tec's side of the room.

He presses a button on his suit which prompts his helmet to scan the room.

"Got it" he whispered "Leftmost door. 8 meters. Move slowly and quickly"

The soldiers nod as they sneak past the Vault-Tec soldiers into the leftmost door.

**Dormitory Area:**

As the squad goes deeper into the facility, the sound of gun and laser fire echo loudly once more.

The squad goes against a wall as Paul peeks through a corner.

"6 Tangos…" he reported "… No way around…"

"Are you sure?" Charles said pointing to a vent

"Can we fit in there?" Jane asked

"Only one way to find out" the Captain said as he goes in first.

The rest of the squad follows except for Paul and Jane, whose apparel is too big to fit.

"Hey Captain" Paul said "What do we do?"

"I guess there's no other choice" the Captain responded "You two are gonna support the Wattz Employees"

"Uh… how do we do that without being shot at by both sides?"

"You can think of a way. I know you're capable enough for that, Paul. I'll maintain radio contact so keep me updated"

Paul sighs. "Alright, Jane. Let's go"

Jane nods as Paul throws a frag grenade at the Vault-Tec soldiers.

* * *

**2312:**

**Klamath; Abandoned Shack:**

Rufus sits down in front of an old table. Dust and rust litter the old shack as the Lone Wanderer brings out a bottle of whiskey.

He takes a swig.

Staring at a disabled terminal, the wanderer plays Alexander's tape on his pipboy.

* * *

2 in 1.

I was running out of time so I had to put two codes in this one.

Now. You know that decades ago, Caesar's Legion was wiped out by yours truly.

Well at least that's what the 'official' statement says.

It's true that I pummeled their armies to near extinction but I allowed small pockets of survivors to retreat to the south, to what was once known as Mexico.

We made an agreement that they would fade away in exchange for safe passage and a guarantee that the NCR will leave them alone.

Only me, a couple of my lieutenants, and Polonsky know this.

In the event something happens and the Legion becomes a problem, you must make sure they DO NOT get wiped out this time.

I cannot stress this enough, Rufus. The Legion is important for the moment.

That's all I can say here.

The last 2 codes for the safe is Tyrant and Thoughtless.

* * *

Upon the recoding's end, Rufus hears a clicking sound.

The backside of the terminal opens.

Rufus opens the terminal, finding a holotape.

* * *

**2078:**

Minutes later, the Captain and his 2 companions drop down from the vents into an armory.

This part of the bunker is quiet, devoid of any sound of fighting.

They carefully walk through the area, eventually reaching a locked door.

The Captain hacks the nearby terminal as the sound of gunfire is slowly getting clearer.

He succeeds hacking the terminal.

"Be ready for anything" he says as Charles and Kira stack up behind the door

The Captain stacks up just opposite of the two. He raises his left arm and positions his right index finger on top of the arm.

He nods at the two before pressing a button on his left arm.

The locked door opens and the two soldiers burst in, guns at the ready.

The Captain enters seconds later and finds the three of them pointing weapons at several Wattz Employees, who return the favor.

For a few minutes both sides aim their guns at one another, as if waiting for one side to open fire first.

Among the Wattz Employees, the Captain notices a middle-aged man wearing a business suit.

"Are you Mr. Vaile?" the Captain asked, still pointing his weapon

"Judging by the fact that you asked for my name and did not shoot first, I reckon that the two individuals aiding my men are part of yours?"

"Yes. So are you Mr. Vaile?"

"Yes. Wattz Electronics CEO Bercisc Vaile at your service"

"We're here to rescue you"

"And why would you do that?"

"Let's just say that you may prove useful and if you help me, you can have your revenge on Alec Oppenheim"

"Revenge on Oppenheim, you say? You must be that intruder who destroyed the West-Tek bunker months ago. Why should I trust you? For all we know, you could either be working with Oppenheim to fool me or you could kill me like you did with Mr. Sanderson"

"Sanderson?" Charles said "West-Tek's CEO?"

"The very same" Jane answered "What the hell did you do there, Captain?"

"Nothing" the Captain answered "I had nothing to do with his death. All I did was blow up the bunker but the West-Tek staff there was long dead by the time I arrived"

The CEO leers at the Captain as both sides are still pointing weapons at one another.

An explosion in the distance catches the CEO's attention.

"Mr. Vaile!" one of his employees, operating the security cameras, said "They've breached the armory!"

"Damn…" Vaile said "What of our troops?"

"They've suffered heavy losses and are retreating but the two individuals are covering their retreat"

Vaile then notices an ominous warning on the screen.

"Mother of God…" he muttered as a satellite icon flashes in the monitor

The CEO then orders his men to stand down.

Both sides put their weapons down.

"Alright" the CEO said "I'd rather die a free man than be at the mercy of Alec. I to evacuate my men from this bunker. Will you help?"

"So long as you help me make Oppenheim's life harder" the Captain answered

"Deal"

The Captain then turns to his two allies.

"You heard him" he said "You know what to do"

"Right!" the two said as they run to the frontlines.

Upon reaching the frontlines, the Captain and his men provide heavy suppressive fire upon the enemy.

Minutes pass as the Wattz Employees slowly manage Vault-Tec's forces back.

* * *

Reaching the R&D level of the bunker, Vault-Tec's forces hunker down behind some riot shields and bulletproof glass.

"Hey" Vaile said tapping the Captain in the shoulder "There are prototype gravity grenades by the desks over there. Use them to force the enemy out of cover"

"Right" the Captain said, tapping Paul in the shoulder "Cover me"

"Roger!" Paul answered as he and the other provide cover fire while the Captain runs to the container holding the prototype grenades.

The captain dives behind cover and reaches for the box but several bullets lands in the floor next to his arms, forcing him to return to cover.

He quickly realizes a big metal cabinet behind him. The captain pushes the cabinet until it falls to the floor.

Using it as cover, the Captain grabs the container and grabs several prototype grenades.

They look very different from the regular frag, pulse, or plasma grenade.

"Captain!" Paul said over the radio "the CEO says to twist the top and throw it"

"Copy!" the Captain responded as he does what he was instructed.

The grenade bounces a bit before suddenly floating in the air.

It generates a gravitational pull that pulls the Vault-Tec soldiers out of cover before exploding, killing the hapless soldiers.

A few minutes pass and the last few Vault-Tec soldiers were finally forced out of the R&D Level.

Vaile quickly uses a terminal to put the room on lockdown, closing all doors.

"What now?" Charles asked, catching his breath

"Wait a moment…" Vaile replied typing something on the terminal "Be sure to grab as many schematics, weapons, and items as you all can. We will not be coming back here"

His employees comply before a hidden door in the wall opens.

"Quickly!" he shouts as everyone runs into the hidden room "The Lex Talionis will be in range soon!"

"The what?" Paul wondered

"There is no time! HURRY!"

The survivors reach what looks like a tram station. They quickly enter the tram as the train starts moving.

As the tram picks up speed, a gigantic laser pierces through the underground, obliterating the entire bunker and half the tram, killing anyone caught in the blast.

The last car was cut in half. Causing it to skid through the tracks, slowing the tram down as the area starts to cave in.

"Shit!" the Captain said opening the car's door "Move to the next car!"

The survivors run to the next car as the falling debris slowly catches up.

With the last survivor getting out of the last car, the Captain places a breaching charge on the connection cables.

He detonates it, disconnecting the car from the tram.

The tram finally picks up speed, safely speeding away from the debris.

* * *

**2312:**

**Klamath; Abandoned Shack:**

Rufus stares at the holotape he found for a few seconds before playing it on his Pipboy.

Instead of an audio file, the holotape contained one text file: 'Hide and Seek'

Rufus clicks the file.

A short message pops up: 'Where dreams come true and/or lost in the blink of an eye'

Rufus smiles. "So why the hell are you gambling at a time like this?"

As he was getting up, Rufus felt the barrel of a 10mm pistol at the back of his head.

"Took you long enough" Rufus said as the shack echoes with the sound of a single gunshot.


	9. Next Steps

**Wyoming**

**2078:**

In an underground facility, the Captain, still wearing his advanced suit, and Wattz Electronics CEO Bercisc Vaile sit across one another in a private room.

"So Commander" the CEO said sipping some tea "What do you want to know about Alec?"

"Let's start with the basics" the Captain said "Why was Oppenheim trying to kill you? Is this connected with Mr. Sanderson's death?"

Vaile exhales and takes another sip of tea before answering.

"When Alec first started this… 'coalition', he gathered as many CEOs, politicians, and influential figures he could. We were basically offered a position in his 'new world' with a gun pointed on our backs. The ones that refused never left the building… alive"

"So you're trying to evade responsibility by saying you were forced?"

"Yes. It does sound like that but as with many of us, we had to live with the guilt and consequences of our decision. Me and Karl are just some of these people within Vault-Tec that feel this way"

"What do you mean?"

"I am not saying I am free from guilt nor am I saying I don't share the blame of what happened to the world. I… No. We simply had no choice. It was either join Alec or die on the spot. And no one understood that better than Karl. He knew he couldn't stop Alec's plans by openly opposing him. And so, me, him and a few others decided to fight Alec covertly. But as you can see, we failed"

"So Oppenheim found out about this"

"Yes but he found out after the bombs fell. But that was not the only reason he ordered our deaths. In the months after October, Karl had been digging a lot of information from Alec's network and discovered something"

"What is it?"

"I don't know… He was supposed to have contacted me about it but as you just saw, Alec got to him first"

"Damn… Any clues he left behind?"

"I'm not sure… But if he did leave behind anything, his terminal at the Empire State Building may hold some clues"

"New York? How could he be able to put data onto a terminal in the middle of a wasteland?"

"You'd be surprised on how advanced Vault-Tec equipment truly is. Either way, it's our only lead"

"You have a point…"

"Very good. Any other questions?"

"Yes. What was that beam that destroyed your shelter?"

"Oh that… That was Archimedes"

"Archimedes?! But wasn't the Archimedes project discontinued?!"

"Ah. The fact that you know about the Archimedes project suggests you're not just a regular survivor"

The captain does not respond.

"Haha. I won't pry if you don't want to tell me. Officially yes the Archimedes project was discontinued. But Vault-Tec managed to acquire all of the research materials and well… Alec has ways of disguising his schemes in plain sight"

"The Mars colonization project"

The CEO nods as he takes another sip.

"Goddamn…" the captain muttered

"Archimedes is only one of many dirty little secrets Alec keeps. The vaults are another"

"What do you mean?"

"Well they're officially fallout shelters, correct? But their true purpose is *&%$# %-"

* * *

"What? What's happening?" a young man said

"It seems we are having problems with the synchronization" an old man with a German accent replied "A good time for you to rest then. You have been doing this for an hour now"

"Are you sure, doc? Time isn't really on our side"

"Using the Animus in your current state was risky enough, not to mention that this one is simply a prototype. We cannot afford to risk you suffering from the bleeding effect"

"Alright…"

"Good. Anyway, what did you find out so far?"

"Not much… But the Wattz Electronics CEO said a terminal in the Empire State Building in the New York ruins could hold some valuable information"

"Interesting… But we cannot act on this information alone. The events you are experiencing are, after all, more than 200 years old. Anything could have happened in between"

"So what do we do?"

"Rest for now. I shall see what other modifications I can place on this device. We need more information before we can act. We cannot make the same mistake again"

* * *

**Navarro**

**2312:**

Inside her quarters, Ellie reads a report sent by one of her men.

"Goddamn it!" she muttered putting the report down on her desk and locks her door.

She then moves towards a bookshelf.

She pulls a hidden lever, opening a hidden door to her left.

The Enclave commander looks around before quietly opening the door.

She soon finds herself in a dark empty room.

"Damn it…" she mutters again as she tinkers with her Pip-Boy.

Suddenly, an electric bolt strikes her location and she disappears.

* * *

**Raven Rock:**

Ellie instantly reappears in a small room somewhere on the base.

She steps out of the teleporter and is met by a familiar face.

"Sithis!" she said shaking her friend's hand "Good to see you!"

"Well! Well!" the man replied "It's been a while, little snowflake!"

The two then exit the room, walking through a long corridor, guarded by several unaffiliated soldiers.

"How are things in the east?" Sithis asked "I'm not hearing good news at all recently"

"Yeah… Caesar's Legion attacked NCR territory and blew up a pre-war nuclear reactor, annihilating an entire town"

"Shit… That sounds really bad"

"How about here? I heard reports that Vault-Tec attacked Union Territory weeks ago"

"That's an understatement. Vault-Tec really brought pain when they attacked. They focused their forces in specific location around the Capital Wasteland, The Pitt, and the Commonwealth"

"How about Carolina?"

"Carolina was hit too but not as hard as the others"

"So what areas did they specifically attack?"

"Prisons, production facilities, trading outposts… Basically vital locations that would paralyze the Union with enough damage"

"Damn it… We really have to strike Vault-Tec soon"

"All in due time, kiddo"

The two then enter a meeting room and are greeted by 4 inividuals.

Ellie greets each one.

"Dr. Steiner. Arthur. Nate. Audrey" she said shaking each person's hand

"Where's Rufus?" Arthur asked

Ellie shakes her head. "Missing…"

"Missing?" Sithis wondered "What do you mean?"

"He was last seen in Klamath. A single gunshot was heard yesterday… No body but no contact either…"

"Goddamn it" Arthur said "Vault-Tec's becoming a problem now"

"I think it's cuz we're finally starting to be a threat to them" Sithis added "It's been 5 years. And we're only making progress now"

"That is true" Steiner replied "The NCR and Union have only begun taking measures against Vault-Tec quite recently"

"So what do we do?" Sithis asked "The NCR and the Legion will go to war. Do we pick a side?"

"I suggest we don't" Arthur responded "Picking a side means destroying one faction. Vault-Tec wants us to have fewer friends"

"But an endless war also benefits them" Ellie responded

"But choosing to support a faction will end in the massacre of another"

"Well. Well" Nate interrupted "I never thought you'd ever say something like this, Arthur"

The elder sighs. "Let's not bring up the past…"

"Regardless" Ellie added "We have to decide what to do here… The more time we spend being indecisive, gives Vault-Tec more avenues to keep kicking us down"

"Both actions benefit Vault-Tec in one way or another" Steiner added "It seems either outcome will not matter to Vault-Tec"

"What do you mean?"

"Eliminating potential allies is an obvious benefit for Vault-Tec. But a seemingly unending war gives them the best outcome for we will be too busy fighting amongst ourselves to focus on them"

"And again we're back on the same question" Nate said "What do we do?"

"I think for now we make sure both sides don't end up killing each other" Sithis suggested

"Agreed" Arthur responded "But I believe that there is a way to gain the support of both factions"

"Whoah this I have got to hear" Nate uttered

"I'm not sure yet… But I do feel that Vault-Tec has a hand in this war. If we can find a way to eliminate Vault-Tec's manipulation, maybe we can find a way for both sides to reconcile"

"That sounds like something Rufus would say" Ellie said "But yeah I agree with you"

"So I think I can assume we're all in agreement that picking a side is out of the question" Sithis asked

"Yes…" Steiner responded "But until we can eliminate that factor, all we can do for now is prevent both factions from destroying each other"

"The Brotherhood will act as peacekeepers then" Arthur said "We'll continue researching and collecting new technology"

"Right" Sithis said "How about that pre-war project you told us about last time? How's it going?"

"My scribes tell me the restoration is going well. They estimate it to be completed within a few months. All that's left after that is some field testing"

"Where did you find this again?" Steiner asked

"Trinity Site" Arthur answered "New Mexico"

"Wasn't that where the first nuclear tests were performed?" Ellie wondered

"Very ironic" Steiner said "A site that birthed the weapon that created this wasteland also houses a possible hope to save it"

"At least that's some good news" Ellie said "I'll take Wolf Pack to Menifee and follow up on my lead"

"Are you sure you can trust that holotape?" Arthur asked

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it really convenient you randomly found a pre-war picture frame with an intact photo inside that so happened to hide a holotape that is connected to Vault-Tec"

"When you put it that way…" Sithis added "This lead does sound suspicious"

"It may be" Ellie replied "But I'd like to gamble on this especially since this will finally give us some firepower against Vault-Tec"

"I understand" Arthur responded "Just be careful"

"I will"

"Anyway" Sithis interrupted "Audrey. You've been really quiet the entire time. Got anything to say?"

"Huh?!" Audrey said, surprised "I… um…"

"Haha! Still not used to talking to a group of people, I see! I guess some things are hard to outgrow!"

"S-Sithis!"

"Haha! Anyway, how's James? You're here as his proxy, right?"

"Y-Yes… James is still bed-ridden but his condition is stable"

"That's good to hear"

"Right then" Steiner said "Let us proceed. Now then, what of the eastern seaboard?"

"Yeah" Ellie added "How are things in the Union?"

"Well" Audrey answered "The Capital Wasteland has been peaceful since the attacks but we're still repairing the damages"

"The Commonwealth is on the alert" Nate added "The minutemen and Railroad managed to repel most of Vault-Tec forces but we've also sustained heavy damages to our territories"

"Carolina suffered a few attacks" Sithis added "But compared to the other two, we were virtually left alone for some reason"

"And the Union council?" Ellie asked

"They're a different story" Sithis answered "The attacks only made them into bigger idiots. Hell I feel like talking to a radroach makes more sense than what anything coming from those blockheads"

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Well the council's split. Some want to hunker down and 'secure' Union territory… As if that would protect them from Vault-Tec. But more concerning are the extremists. These leaders are the real problem! They're blaming the attacks on the NCR and are actually suggesting the council to invade NCR territory"

"Are they serious?!" Arthur uttered

"That's not half of it" Nate added "The council has begun to increase weapon, equipment, and material production. The Pitt, New Carolina, and even some settlements in the Commonwealth have increased production"

"Are they preparing for war?" Ellie asked

"That's a possibility… But I'll make sure the Minutemen will not involve the Commonwealth in the event a war does come"

"James and I have been voicing our objections too" Audrey added

"This is all well and good" Sithis responded "But given the present situation, I reckon there's more to this than just some paranoid dickheads"

"Vault-Tec…" Ellie uttered

"Heh…" Arthur said "We're all getting paranoid now… Everything that happens could be Vault-Tec behind the scenes"

"But it is reasonable" Steiner replied "Vault-Tec has been manipulating so many events in the wastelands. And now that they have been exposed, they will most likely do everything in their power to prevent us from uniting"

"Vault-Tec or no" Ellie said "Something has to be done"

"Like with the West Coast, we must make the necessary measures to prevent an all-out war"

"I agree" Nate added "Even if we gather so much weapons, equipment, and people, they won't mean anything if we're fighting amongst ourselves"

"Agreed" Ellie said "I think we should end here for now"

"Right" Steiner said "Be vigilant everyone. Vault-Tec is playing their cards"

Everyone nods as they go back to the teleporter.

"By the way" Ellie said "I'm quite impressed that this room was finished in less than 2 years"

"True" Sithis added "I never would have thought those Institute stragglers would still be able to build something like this"

"I just hope those scientists didn't put anything unsavory here" Arthur added

"Don't worry" Nate responded "Those scientists have proven to be quite helpful in improving life in and around the Commonwealth"

"That's nice to hear" Steiner replied

"Besides Arthur, you gotta admit that the Brotherhood did almost as much damage as the Institute did"

Arthur sighs. "Don't remind me…"

* * *

**Manhattan, New York**

**2078:**

In the snow-covered remains of the city, 5 armed individuals, all wearing advanced suits, scour the ruins of an old park as it begins to snow.

"Goddamn" Charles said "City's virtually intact…"

"The nukes hit the other boroughs" Jane answered

"Which is good for us" the Captain added "Mr. Vaile said that Sanderson's office is in the Empire State Building"

"Great…" Charles responded "… one of the tallest buildings in the world…"

"Shh" Paul interrupted "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kira wondered as the commandos draw their weapons

The park was empty but the sound of moving rocks could be faintly heard.

"What the hell…?" Jane uttered

Without warning, a gigantic scorpion bursts from the ground.

"The fuck is that thing!?" Charles shouted as he is hit with the scorpion's pincer, sending him flying a few feet.

The others open fire on the creature, proving itself to be resistant to their bullets.

"Watch out for the stinger!" the Captain yelled dodging the scorpion's stinger

The scorpion then sweeps its tail around before retreating underground.

"Stay alert!" the Captain commanded

"Seconds later, the creature resurfaces

"Damn it!" Jane shouted as the creature grabs her rifle's barrel

"Fire in the hole!" Charles yelled throwing a cryo grenade

Jane lets go of her rifle as the grenade detonates near the scorpion's legs, freezing them solid.

Jane quickly brings out her P220 and opens fire on the creature's frozen legs, shattering them.

Minutes of concentrated fire finally brought the creature down.

As the squad gathers to catch their breath, they could not help but feel puzzled.

"Did the radiation do this?" Kira asked

"Can't be" Paul responded "It's only been a year… No way mutations like these could have popped up so quickly"

"So did this exist before the war?" Jane wondered, picking up her rifle

"With all the secrets and conspiracies" Charles added "I wouldn't be surprised. Hell this could even be one of Vault-Tec's little pets"

"Cut the chatter" the Captain interrupted "Let's move before more of these things show up"

The Captain approaches Charles.

"Are you ok?" he asked

"I'm fine" he replied "Fucking thing just threw me"

"Alright. Let's move out!"

* * *

It did not take long before a dense fog envelopes the city.

The commandos could hardly see what was in front of them but continue to press on.

Minutes go by as eerie silence fills the streets once more.

"Damn this thick fog" Paul said "How much further?"

"A few blocks" the Captain answered as he signals his squad to stop "Ready weapons"

The Captain turns to his right, rifle drawn.

He slowly moves forward.

He hears the sound of heavy footsteps.

He stops as a small brownish creature emerges from the fog.

It looked like a small hunchbacked, bipedal reptile.

It stretched its long arms and snarls, attempting to intimidate the Captain.

"What the hell is this thing?" the Captain wondered as he walks closer

As he walks closer, the creature takes a few steps back.

Just then, a much larger creature appears behind the smaller creature.

It was similar in appearance to the smaller creature; a hunchbacked bipedal reptile. But this one has horns pointing towards its back and it was far larger compared to the Captain.

"Oh shit…" the Captain muttered as the horned creature roars

The commandos unload on the creature.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Charles exclaimed as the creature brushes off the damage.

The Captain rolls to the side, avoiding the creature's massive claws.

"Fire in the hole!" Charles shouted throwing a cryo grenade

The grenade detonates, freezing the creature's right claw

But it quickly breaks free from the ice.

"Damn thing is tough!" Kira said as the creature charges towards Paul

It grabs the commando, causing him to drop his rifle.

"L-Let go of me!" Paul shouted as he pulls out his P226 and desperately fires upon the creature.

Shrugging off the damage, the creature tightens it grip and brings the commando near its mouth and roars at the commando.

It then throws Paul to the floor.

"Paul!" Jane shouted as the creature turns on her "Oh shit!"

She rolls to the side, dodging the creature's attack.

"Goddamn it!" Kira shouted as she loads her M203 grenade launcher "Fire in the hole!"

"Danger close!" Jane shouted back as Kira fires her grenade launcher

The explosive hits the creature's back.

It turns around and roars before charging towards Kira.

She frantically reloads her grenade launcher as the creature quickly closes the distance.

As the creature gets dangerously close, Kira fires her M203 again.

The explosive detonates on the creature's face.

The explosion knocks it back a bit as it roars and flails its sharp claws around.

Seconds later, it collapses into the ground.

For at least a minute, the commandos stood there aiming their weapons at the fallen creature, unsure if it was dead.

"You guys think it's dead?" Charles asked

The Captain slowly moves forward and pokes the creature's body with his rifle's barrel. "Looks like it"

With the area clear, the commandos gather around the body.

"What is this thing?" Kira asked poking the body

"Reptilian body… Long sharp claws" Paul observed "… horns pointing to the back of its head… never seen something like this before…"

Before they could inspect the body any further, the squad hears distant roars coming from the fog.

"Well that doesn't sound good" Charles uttered as the squad readies for another battle

The Captain activates his suit's heat sensors.

Through the fog, he spots a pack of that same creature.

"There's more of them" he reported signaling his squad to retreat "A lot of them…"

The squad quickly falls back as more of those creatures converge on the area.

* * *

**Navarro**

**2312:**

Ellie teleports back into the hidden dark room in her office.

She slowly opens the hidden door, looking around the room, before emerging.

She quickly closes the door but soon feels something was off.

The room looked normal but the Enclave commander could not help but feel like she was being watched.

She draws her FN Five Seven as she scans the room.

She finds some of the files on her desk have been moved… It was slight but she knows her files were not there when she left.

She scours the bookshelf, looking for clues as an invisible figure walks slowly behind her.

As he was about to attack her, Ellie quickly turns around and spots the familiar haze caused by a stealth boy.

"YOU!" she shouted as she tries to fire her pistol but her assailant swats her right hand to the side, causing her to miss.

He then lunges at her, causing Ellie to have her back to the floor.

The assailant brings out a melee weapon and attempts to stab Ellie's neck.

The Enclave Commander grabs both arms as the two struggle to get the upperhand

Despite Ellie's superhuman strength, she finds her assailant to be able to resist her.

Ellie then attempted to kick her assailant to no avail.

With little option before her, Ellie estimates where her assailant's head was.

She takes a deep breath

And head-butts her assailant. She successfully hits his head, causing him to recoil.

Ellie then kicks him between the legs and punches him in the head, breaking free from his grapple.

The assailant drops his weapon which turns out to be a syringe filled with a strange green liquid.

Defeated, her assailant retreats as Ellie quickly presses the alarm button.

"Intruder alert!" she shouted on the intercom "We have an intruder using a stealth boy! Use thermal equipment! I want that bastard alive!"

The base goes into full alert as alarms blare throughout and Enclave soldiers scramble to apprehend the intruder.

* * *

**Empire State building; 1** **st** **floor**

**2078:**

The squadrons moves along the dark derelict reception area.

"Are we really gonna search the whole place?" Charles asked, worried

"No" the Captain responded checking a holographic Pipboy-like device on his left arm "Sanderson's office should be in the 45th floor"

"Still a pretty long way up" Paul remarked

"Power's down too" Jane added pressing the elevator button

"So we're using the stairs then" Kira said

"Oh God…" Charles remarked with a sigh

**45** **th** **Floor**

**A few minutes later:**

"Ah shit…" Paul said as the squad's flashlights illuminate the ruined office before them.

There were bodies everywhere, some were even charred. Their faces were hardly recognizable.

"Goddamn…" Kira muttered

"Noone managed to take shelter?" Jane asked "Every floor is virtually the same…"

"New York was one of the few places to be hit" the Captain responded "But even then, there were early warning systems setup…"

"So why are there so many bodies still in their offices?" Paul wondered "Accepting death is one thing but… Everyone who was here at the time all did the same thing?"

"Maybe they thought the building would protect them from the radiation" Charles speculated

"Either way this is just too weird…" Jane added

"Agreed" the Captain responded as they proceed to Sanderson's office

They slowly open the door and find an empty room with a lone functional terminal.

"Search the office for anything you can find" the Captain commanded as he hacks the terminal

His subordinates nod, complying.

Paul and Charles search the filing cabinets

Kira checks the desks and cubicles

And Jane examines the bodies.

2 minutes later, the Captain successfully hacks into the terminal and begins to download the files inside.

Upon finishing his download, the Captain destroys the terminal.

"We're done here" he said emerging from Sanderson's office.

"Hey" Jane said as the others gather near her "I think this one's still alive!"

"What?" Charles replied "That's impossible. How could someone survive for a year like that?"

"I mean it. Look!"

The commandos stare at a seemingly moving 'corpse'. The skin was charred and the clothes were in tatters. It was as if the person was literally cooked in an oven.

"I can't believe it" Paul said as the person slowly picks himself up "Are you alright, sir?"

The person snarled and gurgled.

"Sir" Jane asked approaching the charred man "Are you alright?"

Without warning, the creature lunges towards Jane

It attempted to bite the commando as her squadmates quickly get the person off of her.

"Freeze!" the Captain said as the person slowly walks towards the commandos "I said FREEZE!"

The person screeches before charging again

The commandos are forced to put him down.

"What the hell?!" Charles uttered "I'm beginning to think that Vaile sent us to a death trap!"

Before the commandos can make sense of the situation, several 'corpses' begin to rise…

"Fuck this!" Charles continued "This is straight out of a zombie movie!"

"Cut the chatter!" the Captain said as he opens fire "Out of building. NOW!"

The commandos frantically make their way to the exit as dozens of hostiles 'awaken' around them.

Minutes later, they managed to fight their way to the entrance as a horde approaches from behind.

"The door!" the Captain said as he, Paul, and Charles close the stairway doors.

The hostiles bang on the door attempting to force it open as the three commandos struggle to keep them closed.

"Barricade!" the Captain yelled as the Jane and Kira begin to place tables, chairs, and a Nuka-Cola vending machine over the door, effectively barricading the doors shut.

The commandos take a minute to catch their breaths.

"Fuck this shit" Charles uttered "Anyone suspect this whole thing is nothing more than a trap?"

"We can talk about this later" the Captain said "This place is not secured. Let's look for a safe spot first"

His subordinates nod as they leave the building.

**Subway Station Ruins:**

**Sometime later:**

Charles and Paul start a small campfire as a blizzard envelopes the desolate city.

"That was some crazy shit back there" Charles said sitting by the campfire

"Why did they do that?" Jane wondered "Is this another side-effect of the radiation?"

"It can't be" the Captain replied "It's only been a year… This is too fast for a mutation to happen not to mention that there are no records of anyone turning into zombies when exposed to radiation… That and my suit couldn't detect any heat signatures from any of them"

"So what?" Charles responded "We have zombies now?"

"Whatever the case. This city is infested with hostile creatures unlike the other states. We best keep our guard up"

"Hey Captain. I'm starting to suspect that Vaile sent us in a wild goose chase. I don't know if we should trust him"

"I've managed to read some of the files. So far, all they talk about were Oppenheim's schemes from 2050 to last year. So no. I don't think Vaile sent us to a death trap"

"That's not really much to go on" Paul responded

"Yeah but the files do mention several points of interest here in New York alone"

"Great…" Charles said in a sarcastic tone "… So we're not done here yet…"

"For now" the Captain said "We all rest up… There's no telling what we'll encounter"

* * *

**2312**

**The Strip, New Vegas**

**The Tops Restaurant:**

Inside the crowded restaurant, a man wearing an armored Vault 101 suit approaches the bar.

"Vodka" he ordered

The bartender quickly serves him a glass as the man pays his bill.

"So…" A man in a trench coat asked approaching him "How are things eastside?"

"Oh you know" the man in the vault suit answered "The usual"

"I heard things are going to shit"

"You heard right. Looks like our mutual 'friend' is taking notice and finally taking action"

"I knew it… Is everything going according to plan?"

"So far yes. But we did lose a few good people"

"Damn shame… But we have to press on"

"Anyway, what's our next step? I doubt you went here just to get a fortune"

"Mr. House"

"Mr. House huh… You are aware of what happened 30 years ago, right? Not to mention that the Lucky 38 is still off-limits"

"Yes I am. You think I stayed here for weeks just to wait for you and gamble my caps away?"

"Alright then. What's our next step then?"

"We need to find the one that defeated the NCR, the Legion, and Mr. House himself"

"The Courier…"

"Yep… She's our key to gaining New Vegas' support in the war effort"


	10. Plan

**Navarro:**

**2312:**

"We found him!" an Enclave soldier shouted "Open fire!"

The invisible intruder quickly steps back, hiding behind a wall.

Seconds later, the 2 soldiers stop firing.

One signals the other to slowly approach the wall, weapons still drawn.

They turn the corner but find nothing, even their thermal goggles couldn't pick up anything.

Unbeknownst to the 2 men, the intruder was above them, clinging to the ceiling with his hands.

Before they could realize anything, the intruder drops down.

He wraps his legs around the face of one soldier and grabs the other's arm.

The grip was inhuman. It was as if a deathclaw was gripping the soldier's hand.

The intruder then breaks the hapless soldier's arm and slams his face to the wall while throwing the other across the hall like an acrobat.

The Enclave soldier attempts to recover but the intruder stabs the soldier's left hand.

The pain was intense but it did not feel like a knife was used…

The intruder retreats as more Enclave soldiers converge on the area.

Reaching the hangar, the intruder attempts to hijack a vertibird, mowing down the Enclave soldiers there.

He jumps into the pilot seat, preparing for takeoff.

Before liftoff, a hand grabs the intruder's shoulder.

He turns around, seeing a Caucasian woman, wearing a standard Enclave BDU but no thermal goggles in sight.

It was Marta.

"You think you can escape that easy?" she said, throwing the intruder out of the vertibird.

The stealth field dissipates, revealing a hooded masked figure.

"Finally" Marta continued, cracking her knuckles but no sound came out "I can finally see you with my own eyes"

She then engages the intruder in hand-to-hand combat, with both fighters parrying each other's strikes with such skill. It almost looks like a regular sparring session.

Eventually, the intruder's right hand mutates into a claw.

Marta is caught off-guard and blocks the attacks with both her arms.

The claw tears through her BDU, leaving a large gash on the soldier's arms but no blood drips down.

The intruder takes a step back.

"Surprised?" Marta said clenching her fists.

The intruder looks at the gashes in her arm, spotting something metallic in between her skin where blood and tissue should be.

Stepping her right foot forward, Marta hits the intruder with her palm.

He recoils as the force was enough to send him flying a few feet.

He recovers quickly and lunges once more.

Marta redirects the claw by swatting the intruder's right arm.

She quickly elbows the intruder's mask and connects with an uppercut.

The mask flies off his face.

Realizing this, the intruder turns around and activates another stealth boy whole trying to hide his face.

Marta gives chase as the intruder runs, pushing through several Enclave soldiers.

Minutes later, the intruder enters the mess hall and locks the kitchen door behind him.

The Enclave soldiers bang on the door.

Marta then places breaching charges on the door.

She breaks down the door and quickly notices a discarded cloak and an open vent.

"Damn it!" She mutters "He's in the vents!"

The soldiers scramble as Marta notices Talon enter the mess hall.

She stares at him for a few seconds before returning to the hunt.

* * *

**5 days later**

**5:00pm:**

"Finally" Rufus said as he and Alexander emerge from a cave "some sunlight!"

"Haha" the NCR general responded "First time I heard a Vault Dweller missing the sun"

"I haven't lived in a vault for decades, Alex"

"True but still"

"Anyway, where are we? My pip-boy isn't registering anything…"

"Zion Canyon, Utah"

"Oh finally. So where's our first stop?"

"The town of New Canaan should be close"

"New Canaan… Sounds biblical"

"Because it is"

"Huh?"

"Haha. You'll find yourself quite at home here!"

The two descend from the cliffs, headed to the nearest town while fighting off some geckos along the way.

**An hour later:**

**New Canaan, Red Rapid Docks:**

The two enter the town but there wasn't a single soul in sight.

The place looked like a ghost town, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

"The hell?" Rufus wondered "Is it normal for towns to look like they've been abandoned?"

"No" Alexander answered with concern "I was worried when I heard whole caravans going missing around these parts but…"

"When did caravans start to go missing? And why didn't you tell me?"

"I had no way to prove it other than checking it for myself. And I've heard these rumors 3 months ago and caravans stopped going here after several of these cases popped up"

"So we got whole caravans going missing for a while now… I got a bad feeling about this. Anyway, let's look around for clues"

"Agreed"

The two then split up, searching around the abandoned town.

Rufus entered a pub.

It was a mess. Broken glass everywhere, overturned furniture, random items littered around the floor and tables…

But what caught Rufus' attention were several deep slash marks on some parts of the wooden walls.

"Wood or not…" he muttered "Only a few blades I know could make deep gashes like this…"

He examines the floor more thoroughly.

"Dried blood" he monologue, wiping his finger on it "Whatever happened here, happened long before me and Alex arrived"

He wanders around, noticing spent casings of various bullets; .45, 9mm, 5.56, 7.62, .303… They were among the litter on the floor.

There's no question that a battle took place but who were the combatants?

A few minutes later, Rufus exits the pub, his mind still filled with questions.

"No bodies or even skeletons… Not even the smell of corpses…" he muttered, resting his chin over his left hand's fingers "Whoever attacked this place, didn't want any evidence to be left behind… Wait. No. If they really wanted to do that, then why is everything else a mess? This doesn't make sense"

With little clues, Rufus goes back to meet with Alexander by the town's gate.

"Find anything?" Alexander asked

"Not much…" Rufus replied "So what's the plan?"

"The Narrows. With any luck, the Sorrows should still be there"

"The Sorrows huh… What are-"

Suddenly, Rufus notices ruffling in the nearby bushes.

He quickly fires his 10mm pistol.

Whatever was in the bushes, it was spooked by the shots and ran away, oddly avoiding Rufus and Alexander's sights.

The two give chase, following the sight and sound of shaking and rustling trees and falling leaves.

Minutes and distance go by as the chase seemed to have no end.

"Bastard's fast!" Alexander said as the entity as gaining some distance from the two men.

"I'll go ahead!" Rufus said, picking up the pace

Left behind, Alexander pushes on, making sure not to lose Rufus.

But his attention is drawn to a figure on his right that he passes over.

"Huh?" Alexander said stopping and looking back

The figure was a young man, wearing a NCR trooper outfit.

Alexander's eyes widen as if he had seen a ghost.

The young man was smiling and looked as if he was ready to hug Alexander.

"Don't you take a step" Alexander said pointing his .44 magnum at the young man "My son is dead. No amount of scientific bullshit is going to change that"

The young man was saddened but continue to walk closer as Alexander steps back.

"All the way to being a mute…" Alexander muttered "A good try but I'm no fool"

The young man attempts to reach out to his father.

"You're not real" Alexander said coldly

No emotion, No pain, No regret. Alexander empties his .44 magnum on the young man.

The young man falls to the ground as Alexander walks closer.

The young man reaches out to Alexander, who swallows a pill.

"That was close" he said reloading his magnum "Any longer and I could have gone insane"

He then points his magnum at his son's head.

With a single tear on his eye, Alexander fires his magnum.

* * *

**Navarro; Wolf Pack Quarters:**

Ellie enters the room as the members of Wolf Pack stand up.

"So?" Owen asked "What'd you find?"

"The syringe" Ellie replied "It contains another strain of the FEV"

"Another one?" Vivian wondered "What kind of strain?"

"I'm not sure. Based on the tests, this one needs another strain of FEV to actually begin mutating cells"

"What?" Jonas wondered

"This virus is designed to further mutate an existing FEV mutation"

"So what happens?" Owen asked

"So far, the most notable observation is when the strain is introduced to the ghoul variant"

"Ghoul variant?" Talon wondered

"Some ghouls are actually products of FEV infection" Vivian answered

"I see"

"So what happens when both strains mix?" Marta asked

"It rapidly causes mutations in all of the cells, FEV included. If I were to describe how it looked, I'd say quite rapid… and violent"

"Violent?" Jonas asked "How so?"

"The cells don't just reproduce hundreds of FEV at a short time. The cells themselves undergo a change that makes them almost unrecognizable from their original forms. Hell even the previous strain of FEV is not spared"

"So in other words" Owen said "This strain causes a victim to rapidly mutate?"

"Yes if they're already infected with another strain of FEV"

"Well ain't that shit"

"So whoever the intruder was" Vivian said "He was after the commander because of her FEV strain?"

"That may be the case. But for now, we have to focus on Menifee. We've delayed that mission for too long"

"Agreed" Talon added "When do we depart?"

"You're awfully excited" Marta interjected

"I simply want to find a way to defeat Vault-Tec" Talon answered without a shred of doubt "And Vault-Tec is not one to give chances"

"Huh…" By the way, where were you during the whole fiasco 5 days ago?"

"I was by the firing range"

"It's true" Jonas added "I saw him there myself"

"Riiight…" Marta responded "So what's our next plan chief?"

"Menifee" Ellie replied "Vivian. What's the status of the Menifee battlefront?"

"Not so good" Vivian answered "NCR and Legion troops are on a stalemate. Both have a significant amount of encampments in the area. We'll most likely be in the middle of a firefight if we head there. That's not even mentioning how the politicians would react"

"Brilliant… Saddle up. We move out in 10 minutes. I have a call to make"

* * *

Rufus continues chasing the weird creature through an abandoned campground.

Despite being out in the open, Rufus could only see what looks like a shadowy imp.

Minutes later, Rufus and the creature enter the cave.

"Where are you…?" Rufus said turning his Pip-boy light on

He moves slowly into the dark cave, service rifle at the ready.

He notices a silhouette run across some rocks.

He fires 2 shots but hit only rocks.

With no entity in sight, Rufus moves further into the cave.

He eventually finds himself inside a big chamber with a rock spire.

It was dark and seemed empty but Rufus knows he's not alone.

It didn't take long for Rufus to feel someone's presence ahead and slowly presses forward.

A silhouette appears in front.

He shines his Pip-boy light at the shadow, it was a man wearing a blue Vault-Tec suit.

The person had his back turned but Rufus' eyes widen the second he sees the number stitched on the suit's back.

101

"Son?" the man said turning to Rufus

"No…" Rufus said shaking his head "You can't be real. It's impossible!"

"What are you talking about?" the man responded walking closer "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Stay where you are!" Rufus said stepping back

"Come on Son" the man said "We haven't seen each other in a long time. Let's catch up"

Rufus hesitates to pull the trigger as he continues to step back.

"I-Is that really you?" he uttered slowly putting his gun down

"I am son"

"Dad… I… I-I'm so-"

Rufus was interrupted as a bullet pierces through the man's skull.

His eyes widen as the man's body drops to the ground.

He turns around and sees a tall middle-aged man wearing a trench coat.

"You…!" Rufus said as he walks towards the man "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Rufus raises his rifle but the man shines his flashlight directly at Rufus' eyes.

Momentarily blinded, Rufus blind fires.

He misses as the man closes the distance.

The man punches Rufus' stomach then his throat in quick succession.

He then grabs Rufus' face and with a kick to the back of his leg, forces the Lone Wanderer to the ground.

Rufus struggles to get himself free as the man forces a pill down his mouth.

He refuses to swallow but the man covers Rufus' mouth with his hand and adds more force to his face.

After some time, Rufus is forced to swallow the pill.

Upon swallowing, the man lets go of Rufus who gets to his knees coughing.

"Autumn" Rufus said drawing his 10mm pistol "You cocksucking piece of-"

As Rufus aims his pistol at his assailant, he notices he was aiming not at Autumn but at Alexander.

"Alex? When did you get here?" Rufus asked putting his pistol down.

"I've been here the whole time" Alexander answered "You attacked me remember?"

Rufus shook his head. "What? No… I-It was Autumn. H-He killed dad and-"

"Look again"

"What?"

"Look again"

Rufus then turns to where his father's corpse lay.

But it wasn't his dad… It was a ghoul.

A feral ghoul with 2 blade-like appendages sticking from its back.

"What?!" Rufus exclaimed "No… I-It was dad… I-I swear! He looked and sounded like him!"

"Rufus!" Alexander said grabbing the panicked man "Calm down! It was a hallucination!"

"Hallucination?"

"I've seen this shit before! We have to get out of here!"

"What?"

"No time to explain! These mentats are not gonna last forever! And when that happens, we'll be at the mercy of our hallucinations!"

"I-I don't understand…"

"Damn it, Rufus! You were only exposed for a couple of minutes! Just listen to me! Leave now, question later! Understand?"

"R-Right…"

Rufus and Alexander quickly leave the area, headed back to New Canaan.

* * *

**Listening Post Bravo, Boston**

**2117:**

5 individuals, wearing advanced suits, take shelter inside the military structure as a fierce radiation storm descends upon the land.

"You are trespassing" a protectron announced approaching them "Present authorization or be destroyed"

One of the 5 presents his armband to the protectron.

"Scanning… Identification confirmed. Welcome Captain Turner"

"We're clear" the captain said with a ghoulish voice

"Damn…" Charles said "It's been decades and Boston suffers from this… And I thought New York was bad. So what are we doing here? Aren't we immune to radiation now?"

"Yes we are" Jane answered "But not our targets"

"So? All the more reason to get out now and set up ambush positions!"

"We don't know what's happening with our bodies" the Captain added "Remember New York? Our skins look like those things now. We have to be careful"

"Fine…"

Meanwhile, Paul stumbles upon the skeletal remains of a soldier.

Sorrowful, the commando grabs the skeleton's dog tags and whispers a prayer.

"So" Kira said "How far until our destination?"

"The school should be nearby" the Captain answered checking his Pip-boy like device

"I never thought Vault-Tec would actually cross the line like this…" Charles said "Still… Kinda strange that they are able to do all kinds of things in their Vaults…"

"You think they have help?" Jane wondered

"Private companies may provide equipment but funding…" the Captain said "No… Only governments could provide the numbers to fund all these experiments"

"What a twist" Kira said

Soon, the sound of thunder dies down.

The Captain looks through the window and sees the storm dissipating.

"Alright. Let's move!" he commanded as the commandos press on

**Malden Middle School**

**Noon:**

As the 5 commandos near the school, they notice a squad of 4 men.

"Paul" the Captain commanded "Scout"

Paul nods, bringing out a pair of binoculars.

"I'm seeing Vault-Tec decals on the uniforms" he reported "They're our guys"

"Acknowledged. Squad. Neutralize them before they reach the school"

"Roger!" everyone replied as they move closer.

Paul sets up his DMR M16 on a small hill as the other commandos close in.

And with a single shot, Paul neutralizes one hostile with a bullet to the brain.

Before they could react, the other commandos open fire upon the hostiles, quickly eliminating them.

Wasting no time, the commandos drag the bodies inside the school.

The Captain loots a Pip-Boy and equips it.

* * *

The commandos gather by what looks like a prison gate.

"Everyone ready?" the captain asked

The other commandos nod as they descend down the stairs, eventually finding Vault 75.

The Captain uses his Pip-Boy on the terminal.

A ping is heard.

"Ah about time you got here" a voice said on the other line "Hold on… I'm opening the door now"

"Holster weapons. Do not fire without my say" the Captain whispered.

The vault door opens and the commandos enter, meeting the scientists behind the experiment.

"Welcome" one of the scientists said approaching the Captain

"What's the status of the experiment?" the Captain asked

"Well… We have a pretty good harvest for this batch. They have exceptional physical attributes including one who managed to undergo several exercises without much sleep for days"

While the scientist continues to state their successes to the Captain, he notices an African-American scientist stare at him with scorn before walking away.

"What can you tell me about that African-American scientist?" the Captain asked

"What?" the Scientist wondered

"He seemed to not like seeing me"

"Oh him… That was Rohit. An assistant to the science team. Pay no mind to him. He is hardly a threat. We even know of his plan to rebel against us"

"Rebel? You have not done anything to stop this?"

"Why should we? What can two assistants do? Their aptitudes are very low. The only reason they have not been eliminated is because the science team is in need of assistants"

"Interesting…" the Captain said signaling his commandos to follow Rohit "… I would like to see the test subjects and remain here just to make sure that no problems will arise"

"Of course. Feel free to inspect"

The commandos then split up. The Captain, Jane, and Paul remain with the science team as the overseer meets with them while Kira and Charles follow Rohit.

Rohit becomes suspicious as the two were obviously following him.

He walks around the atrium, cafeteria, and combat simulation room.

The two commandos continue with their objective to follow him.

He eventually lures the two into a room inside the residential area.

The dwellers then surround the two commandos, armed with pistols and SMGs.

"Alright" Rohit said "What are you two up to?"

"We just wanted to talk to you kid" Charles answered

"I don't have anything to say to you"

"You sure? We could help you with your little escape plan, you know"

"What?"

"Oh come on kid. The science team knows of your little plot. So if you all want to get out of here alive, I suggest you hear us out"

"Why should I trust you?

"Because we're not from Vault-Tec"

"How can you prove that?"

Charles then brings out his dog tag and throws it to Rohit.

The young man grabs the dog tag and reads Charles' name.

"What's this?" he asked

"It's a dog tag" Charles answered "Look. It has my name and my designation. I'm with the US military not Vault-Tec"

"How do I know this is your real name?"

"Sheesh. You're like a jealous girlfriend. Look. You guys can opt not to trust us and take a chance with fighting your way out alone despite the scientists knowing about your plan OR you can trust us and we'll help minimize casualties on your side. What do you say?"

Rohit ponders.

* * *

In the Admin section of the Vault, the 2 commandos, The Captain and Paul, meet with the overseer as the children leave for their respective activities and exercises.

"You're not worried about this insurrection?" the Captain asked

"Insurrection?" the overseer replied "Please. They are just children. What can they do? They were raised with discipline and love from our staff. Words from two lab assistants will mean nothing in convincing these kids"

"You're pretty confident"

"Why of course. Mr. Oppenheim inspires us to be confident and this project is for the betterment of mankind so it is not like the deaths of these children would be in vain"

The Captain covertly puts his right index finger over his right ear.

"Rebellion in 1 minute" Charles said over the radio

"You sound pretty detached to them" the Captain continued "As if you never experienced being a child before"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't expect these children to be angry enough to fight hard?"

"No. They know who their masters are. And the few that do rebel will be swiftly crushed by the automated security. No amount of superior genes can protect them from robots"

"Don't confuse arrogance with confidence, overseer"

"What?"

Before the conversation could go any further, the sound of gunfire echo throughout the vault.

The overseer wasn't fazed by the sound as he walks towards his terminal.

"Give me a status report" he said over the intercom

"Security cameras spot at least 7 combatants" the scientist replied in a panic

"Calm down, you fool! Just activate the automated security"

"We can't!"

"What do you mean you can't?"

"The system won't respond! The team stationed near the security mainframe won't respond!"

The overseer begins to sweat as the situation was proving to be dire.

"Now you're seeing how dire your situation is, overseer" the Captain said standing up

"Y-You will help us, r-right?!" the overseer said "M-Mr. Oppenheim will not be pleased to hear this vault be destroyed, right?"

"Ah your arrogance has no bounds huh…" the Captain said standing up

"What?"

"That arrogance will be the end of you and Vault-Tec" the Captain uttered pointing his M1911 at the overseer "I swear it"

He pulls the trigger, shooting the overseer's legs.

"Paul" the Captain commanded "Make sure he doesn't escape"

"Roger that"

With the security system disabled, the rebels easily overpower the scientists and eventually take control of Vault 75.

Angry over the deceit and death that these Vault-Tec scientists have done, the rebels opt to 'harvest' the surviving Vault-Tec personnel, including the overseer.

Hours after the rebellion, the surviving children and the commandos gather by the Vault's entrance.

"So what are your plans now?" the Captain asked

"We'll find a place to settle and live the rest of our lives in peace" Rohit answered

"Got any places in mind?"

"I don't know yet…"

"If you're willing, you can come with us to Wyoming. We have a base large enough to accommodate all of you"

"No thanks" he replied "But we will keep in touch. You're always on this frequency right?"

"Yeah"

"Then we'll keep in touch. But if you're gonna take the fight to Vault-Tec tell us. We want payback too"

"Noted. Be careful out there"

"You too and thanks again"

* * *

**Menifee Battlefront**

**2312:**

In the ruins of an old suburb, NCR troopers take cover behind some barricades as Legion forces open fire upon the area.

NCR vertibirds fly in and open fire upon the enemy forces as ground troops press forward.

However, Legion stinger missiles shot down a few of the choppers.

In the command center at the back of the line, a NCR soldier, wearing a bomber jacket stitched with NCR decals, scours the horizons with a pair of binoculars.

"General" a NCR trooper said approaching the man "An Enclave vertibird is headed to this area"

"Enclave?" the general responded "Are they here to reinforce us?"

"No sir. They stated that they have their own agenda"

"Do we have clearance from command?"

"Yes sir. But we are not obligated to protect them sir"

"Ok then. But assign a small team to observe them"

"Yes sir"

As the NCR trooper leaves, the general walks into his command tent.

He turns the ham radio on.

"She's coming" he announces


	11. Following Steps

**Menifee Battlefront**

**NCR Forward Command Center:**

A NCR general and 2 troopers stand near a helipad as an Enclave vertibird lands.

Ellie was the first to disembark and quickly approaches the general.

"Commander Neumann" the general said, shaking Ellie's hand "General Michael Parker"

"Hello general" Ellie replied "What can you tell me of the area?"

"Straight to the point, I see. Step into my war room. I'll fill you in there"

**War Room:**

"So what's the situation" Ellie asked

"Legion Forces have set up fortifications in the outskirts of a pre-war suburbs" Parker answered pointing to a location on the map "Just yesterday, our forces were pushed out of those suburbs"

"Vivian" Ellie said

"Not good" Vivian responded looking at her Pip-boy "Our marker is inside those suburbs"

"So what now?" Owen asked

"No other choice…" Ellie replied "General. Will your men be taking that area back any time soon?"

"We're currently planning an assault"

"Well general, if you would allow me, I would like to help you take back the suburbs"

"Well… I'm not one to turn down help… This could be my chance to see how your little revolution defeated our forces 5 years ago"

"Very good. Wolf Pack. Be ready for deployment. I'll be discussing strategy at the moment"

As the other members leave the war room, Ellie begins scanning the map.

"So" she said "What do we have?"

"The Legion's assault yesterday happened in the early morning. Caught our troops by surprise. I ordered a tactical retreat to these 4 major roads. We entrenched in these areas and stopped the Legion's advance. They rained down mortars on us but luckily, there's shelter"

"They have access to mortars then? How many?"

"We estimate at least 4 mortar teams, all entrenched at the suburbs"

"What about NCR vertibirds? Do we have control of the air?"

"No. The Legion's been using missile launchers against us. The missiles seem to follow our vertibirds even if they use flares and evade the missile. We lost too many vertibirds to risk more"

"How many vertibirds do you have left?"

"I have 3 ready"

"They'll have to do. Next problem is this huge stretch of open land we have to cross after taking these derelict buildings from the Legion. Is there any way to flank the Legion?"

"Not a large force at least but in order to do so, they need to traverse a lot of ruined buildings and craters to do so"

"So it takes time to flank… We have effective anti-air and artillery capabilities… Do you have power armor?"

"Power armor? Yes. I have a few but they're not that many. Are you proposing a direct assault?"

"Yes. What kind of power armor?"

"T-51s"

"No customizations?"

"No. Standard pre-war T-51s"

"Ok… How many of these troopers do you have exactly?"

"More or less a few squads worth… So about 16-20 troopers"

"Are the rangers here too?"

"Yes"

"How many?"

"I have around 6 squadrons on standby"

"Right. We'll have to work with what we have…"

* * *

**Zion Canyon:**

"Oh…" Rufus said holding his head "My head… I feel like I drank too much booze yesterday…"

"Easy" Alexander said, holding Rufus up "We're almost to the Sorrow's camp. You can rest there"

"What the hell just happened, Alex?"

"The result of a Vault-Tec experiment"

"What?"

"You know that most vaults experimented on their inhabitants… Well… Back in 2288, the NCR somehow acquired the research data from some vault in D.C. Command wanted us to use a device derived from that research on the Legion at the time. Everyone complied except me"

"What did it do?"

"You saw it, didn't you? It creates hallucinations that can drive people insane"

"How?"

"Radio waves. White noise. Based on the fact that only a certain area is affected, there's probably a small beacon or something transmitting the signal. We destroy it, the white noise stops"

"So the NCR's been playing dirty way before the black suits program, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"So… Was this device the reason why your son died?"

"… Yes…"

"That explains why you were so cooperative at the start"

"Yeah… Those bastards made the mistake of experimenting on my son"

**The Narrows:**

As the two men slowly walk through the knee deep waters, several tribesmen meet the 2 men, all armed with bows and rifles.

"Stop!" one of the tribals said "You step on Sorrow's territory! Who are you?"

"I am friend" Alexander replied "A friend coming from the land of the two-headed bear!"

The tribal walks closer, his Thompson still raised.

He looks at Alexander and Rufus.

"You may enter"

The two into the camp with Alexander leaving Rufus to the care of a healer before going to meet with the chieftain.

Looking around the camp, the general fondly remembers the times he visited Arroyo.

Soon, he finds himself in the largest tent in the camp.

An elderly woman emerges from the tent. She had a hunchback and carried a cane.

"Ah" the chieftain said with a smile "Mr. Alexander. It is nice to see you again"

"Good to see you too, Chief Waking Cloud"

"It has been a long time since your last visit but tell me. How did you manage to reach our camp? Over the past few months, a terrible curse befell upon the land"

"Yes I experienced that 'curse'. I suggest steering clear of the areas surrounding Morning glory cave and the ranger stations"

"Yes we know but have you encountered the mist?"

"What mist?"

"Sometimes a thick mist falls upon the valley. Inside that mist are demons that kill anything that wanders deep into the mist"

"That's disturbing… Anyway, I have another question"

"Ask away"

"Do you know anything about someone called 'the courier'?"

"The courier? I am not familiar with such a figure"

"Ah wait. Let me rephrase that. Do you know anything about the warrior who helped defend these lands 30 years ago?"

"Ah I believe you speak of 'the guardian'"

"Uh… yes. Do you know where she could be?"

"She came here days ago. Like you, she survived the curse so we entrusted her to help rescue some of our tribesmen who went missing when the mist first came to this valley. She has yet to return"

"Where did she go?"

"The Eastern Virgin where the dead horses were"

* * *

**August 2117**

**San Diego ruins**

**10:30pm:**

A pack of feral ghouls slowly walk around the ruined city, stalking a squad of 5 commandos.

They snarl, walking ever so closer to their prey.

Minutes later, they emerge from the ruined buildings, snarling and running.

"More zombies!" the captain shouted firing his rifle "Formation!"

The commandos quickly form a circle and begin shooting at the horde of ghouls that surrounded them.

They easily gun down the horde.

"Damn" Charles said "There sure are a lot of them"

"So how do we get to our destination?" Jane asked "We don't exactly have boats"

"There should be a military base nearby" Paul answered "Hopefully, they still have a working boat inside"

"You think after all these years, anything could still work without maintenance?" Kira wondered

"We won't know until we find out" the Captain answered "Now move"

After hours of walking, the squad reaches the old military base near the harbor.

The commandos enter the base, being greeted by the usual sights of the ruins around them.

They soon find themselves in front of a door in what looks like a large warehouse.

"Locked" Charles said trying to open the door

"Cover me" the Captain said bringing out a bobby pin

As the captain attempts to pick the lock while the other commandos stand guard.

Although, Kira wanders into a nearby shed.

Inside, she finds 2 beds and a lit lamp.

Charles also wandered a bit, ending up inside another shed.

He finds piles upon piles of junk.

The 2 commandos return to the Captain.

Nothing out of the ordinary except…

"Hey" Charles said "Where's Paul?"

The commandos look around but Paul was nowhere to be found.

"He was just here a minute ago…" Jane said

"Paul" the Captain said over the radio "Where are you?"

No response.

Suspicious, the captain turns to Jane. "Find Paul. Charles. Kira. Stay alert"

The commandos comply.

Jane moves towards the entrance of the base, moving through the sheds and buildings.

Eventually, she spots Paul's silhouette.

She moves towards him.

"Psst" she said "Paul. What are you-"

She stops mid-sentence, noticing a body near Paul.

Paul signals her to stay quiet. The commando complies as Paul directs her to a guard tower.

She notices movement in and around the tower.

Paul positions his DMR, ready to fire on the guard tower as Jane readies herself for a fight.

She uses morse code to signal the other commandos. "Hostiles"

The other commandos understood the warning.

Within minutes, a figure emerges from the tower.

He aims his rifle towards the captain.

Paul quickly adjusts his aim.

Meanwhile, Charles notices a red laser on Jane's forehead.

Before he could speak a word, a single shot was fired.

The commandos all look at the guard tower as a body falls onto the ground.

"CONTACT!" the Captain shouted as hostiles emerge from the ruins, opening fire upon them.

"Is this Vault-Tec again?!" Kira asked

"No" the Captain responded "They're too sporadic! They don't feel like an organized squad. Must be raiders!"

"You sure?" Charles responded

The captain brings out a frag grenade and throws it.

The hostiles quickly jump in all directions.

One jumps right into open ground.

The captain quickly opens fire, neutralizing the foe.

"Yes. I'm sure. Vault-Tec Troopers don't make rookie mistakes like that!"

The bandits were no match against the highly trained commandos as they are eliminated within a few minutes.

"Goddamn…" Charles said "What's the world coming to?"

"No time to feel sad" the Captain asid picking the lock "This is just proof that Oppenheim must be brought to justice"

He successfully picks the lock.

The commandos enter and find a small boat.

"Jane" the captain ordered "Check the boat"

"Circuitry needs a bit of work… But this boat will run after I tinker with it a bit" Jane reported

"Get it done"

After a few minutes of tinkering, Jane manages to get the boat started and the commandos waste no time to leave the base on the boat.

They travel 16 miles from San Diego, ending up in what appears to be a small abandoned island.

"So…" Charles asked as the commandos disembark "Is this the place?"

"It should be" the Captain replied, checking his Pip-boy-like device

They soon end up in front of an old shack.

Inside is a table and a terminal.

"Nothing in here" Kira said checking the terminal "Terminal's blank"

The captain moves closer and inserts a holotape into the terminal.

After a few minutes, a single item appears on screen 'res ipsa loquitur'.

He clicks it and a single message appears on screen. 'ignorantia juris non excusat'.

A hidden hatch then opens.

The commandos climb down the ladder.

It was dark and the commandos could barely see 2 feet in front of them.

"Flashlights" the captain commanded

From what they could illuminate, the area looked like a large metallic pre-war military storage facility.

Cautious, the commandos slowly move further in.

The captain spots a terminal.

It was on.

He accesses the terminal, finding only 1 line. 'fiat justitia ruat caelum.

He clicks it.

The lights turn on, illuminating the facility.

It was far larger than they thought…

Directly in front of the commandos were rows of ships.

Battleships, cruisers, and even an aircraft carrier.

The commandos chuckle and smile.

"So this is what Sanderson was hiding…" Charles said

"We can definitely take the fight to Vault-Tec now…" Kira added

"True that. About time too. But how about training the crews?" Paul asked

"That's the Brotherhood's job now" Jane answered as she approaches the Captain "We did it, Raven…"

She taps the Captain's back.

"Yes… Yes we did…" Raven said removing his mask, revealing a ghoulish face "We're coming for you, Oppenheim"

* * *

**2312**

**Menifee Battlefront**

**NCR forward Command Center:**

"All units in position sir" a radio operator reported as Parker looks at his watch.

"Send the command" the general commanded "Mobilize all units!"

"Acknowledged!" the operator replied relaying the orders

**Frontlines:**

"We have the go!" Ellie shouted "Send them in!"

NCR troopers fire missile launchers on the entrenched legionaries as the rest move in, attempting to secure the derelict buildings.

Ellie and her Wolf pack head the charge as they burst through the windows, gunning down the Legion soldiers in their way.

Within minutes, the buildings were secured but a huge stretch of open land stood between them and the next Legion entrenchment.

"Mortars!" a NCR trooper shouted as the soldiers take cover inside the buildings

The buildings shook as mortars rained around the NCR, some parts of it even fell onto the ground.

"Rangers!" Ellie commanded as the mortar barrage stops

Several NCR Rangers, armed with M14 EBRs, get to their positions.

"In position" they reported

"Copy! Send the vertibirds!"

At Ellie's command, NCR vertibirds fly in as Legion troopers take aim with their missile launchers.

The rangers act quickly, sniping all threats.

The vertibirds take position just above the NCR entrenchments.

"Stabilized" the NCR pilots reported as the NCR Rangers in the vertibitds begin picking off Legion mortar teams.

"Mortar teams neutralized" the snipers reported

"Acknowledged!" Ellie reported "Missiles!"

Several NCR troopers then fire a barrage of missiles onto the enemy as NCR heavy troopers take to the front.

With miniguns on hand, the troopers head the long charge on open land with the other troopers close behind.

The vertibirds fly closer but several Legion soldiers pop from the ruins.

The rangers act fast, sniping a few but the others manage to fire their missiles.

The vertibitds quickly attempt to evade, deploying flares in the process.

One goes down as NCR troops enter the suburbs.

Heavy fighting continued as NCR troops take positions around the area.

Meanwhile, Talon was moving towards a couple of sandbags laid on the street when he notices several Legionnaires slowly creeping towards Ellie and the other NCR troopers.

The tribal acts quickly, charging towards the enemy soldiers with a 10mm SMG on one hand.

He sprays, hitting one enemy in the leg.

He then lunges at the rest with his mutated claw, brutally eliminating his adversaries.

He then sets his sights on the last legionnaire.

The enemy soldier tries to crawl away as Talon slowly walk s towards him.

The tribal prepares to kill his target as Ellie steps in.

"Hey" she said grabbing Talon's claw "That's excessive"

"Why?" the tribal replied "he is the enemy, yes?"

"Yes but we don't have to be this brutal. Besides, he may be more useful alive than dead"

Suddenly, the legionnaire stands up and grabs Ellie's arm.

She instinctively stabs the enemy soldiers in the neck with her hidden blade.

Slowly dying, the legionnaire presses a detonator.

"Goddamn it!" she exclaims as Talon shields her from the C4 explosion.

The force pushes the two back as more legionnaires emerge from hidden positions amongst the ruins, catching the NCR forces off-guard.

Most soldiers engage one another in melee combat, enabling the Legion forces on the other side of the suburbs to slowly regain ground.

"Marta!" Ellie commanded "Let's clear this area of the Legion! The rest of you, focus on the advancing legionnaires!"

"Copy!"

Marta and Ellie quickly make their way to the nearest legionnaires.

They lunge at them.

Using her hidden blades, Ellie quickly neutralizes several enemy soldiers while Marta skillfully engages the spear-wielding legionnaires with her bare fists.

"Concentrate on the Legion in the front!" Ellie commanded "We'll take care of the enemies here!"

The NCR troopers follow orders resuming their assault while Marta and Ellie eliminate the remaining Legion forces.

By nightfall, the Legion was finally forced out of the suburbs and the fighting had stopped albeit for the time being…

Wasting no time, Wolf pack moves into one of the houses in the suburbs.

The second floor had collapsed onto the 1st floor…

"Vivian…" Ellie said "You sure it's here?"

"Yep" Vivian replied, looking at her Pip-boy "Marker's here"

"Alright. Point out where exactly"

Vivian points to a corner in the house. The first floor was more intact here when compared with the other parts of the house.

Wolf pack checks the corner, even the small part buried by the 2nd floor.

"Nothing, chief" Owen responded

"No hatches. No hidden doorways…" Jonas added

Ellie approaches the corner.

Using her eagle vision, she spots a circular object in a hidden part in the wall.

She stabs the wall with her hidden blade.

She nudges her right arm.

A hidden compartment open in front of her.

It was the size of a medicine cabinet.

Inside was the Assassin's insignia and a keyhole under it.

Ellie inserts her right hidden blade onto the keyhole and turns it like a key.

A hidden compartment opens next to her.

"Heh…" Owen said "… So this Raven character was an assassin…"

"Let's go" Ellie said climbing down.

Underground, Wolf pack is greeted with the sight of 2 makeshift barricades.

Spent bullet casings litter the floor and burn marks on the walls, floors, and barricades.

Walking deeper into the facility, Wolf pack sees a number of skeletons, some still wearing their Assassin robes.

All terminals the squad found were destroyed. All papers burnt.

They eventually end up in a room with a lone skeleton resting on a wall behind another set of destroyed terminals.

It was still wearing a Master Assassin robe and a 10mm pistol on its left hand.

Ellie approaches the skeleton, finding a holotape in its feet.

She plays the holotape, hearing a deep male voice.

_Raven… They managed to find us here. We underestimated Vault-Tec's determination to eliminate all opposition to their plans… We'll fight until the last man but I know we can't defeat these bastards. All havens are safe except for one. They managed to find out about the Coronado Island haven. I pray that you find this in time. Prepare for a Vault-Tec assault on those islands!_

"Coronado Islands?" Jonas wondered "Where's that?"

"They're down south" Vivian answered

"How do you know?" Talon asked

"I studied a lot of pre-war maps in the past. The islands were part of the old Mexican territories"

"So… we're not done with the Legion" Marta remarked

"Yeah…" Ellie responded with a worried sigh.

* * *

**Fort Covington, New York**

2 vertibirds fly across the ruins of an old suburb.

Inside one of the vertibirds are several armed men, all equipped with tactical gear and gas masks.

"So" one of the men said "What exactly are we looking for here again?"

"Weren't you listening at the briefing? An underground base" a woman on the radio responded "two underground bases. We're not looking for anything specific just search them and report if you find anything interesting. The vertibirds will drop us close to the entrances but we'll still need to walk a bit"

"Roger. So any threats?"

"Based on what we gathered, expect hostiles to be waiting for us"

"On both sites? What kind of hostiles?"

"Possibly. The same ones that attacked vital Union territories weeks ago but we don't have much info on them. All we know is that they have access to advanced weapons. Keep your guard up either way"

"Right. You be careful too"

"Acknowledged"

One vertibird lands near a park while the other continues on its own path.

"Alright boys" the leader said grabbing his H&K G36c "You know the drill. Let's show what the Talon Company can do!"

"Yes sir!"

The troopers then disembark as the vertibird flies off.

They quickly make their way through the park, gathering near an old bakery.

Pre-war skeletons, discarded junk…

The same old pre-war ruins sight greeted the soldiers.

They head towards a large fridge in the kitchen.

Inside, they open a hidden elevator door.

The 5 soldiers descend to the lower levels, finding themselves inside what looks like an abandoned military installation

They cautiously gather by the door.

Jack nods before opening the door.

The soldiers quickly enter the room, guns drawn.

No hostiles.

But the furniture looks like it was arranged to anticipate an attack.

Tables and sofas turned to the side, 2 ammo boxes behind the makeshift barricade, and a single skeleton still holding onto a M16A4.

"Keep moving" Jack commanded

The soldiers scour every room.

Each looking eerily the same. Makeshift barricades, weapons & bullet casings littering the floor, and burn marks on the floor and walls…

"Hey Audrey" Jack said over the radio "Did the Brotherhood cleanse this base in the past?"

"None that I've heard of" Audrey replied

"Well someone attacked this base… The Enclave made enemies out of everyone but the Brotherhood is the only one I know that can pull off a slaughter like this…"

"Yeah… This is weird… My team's going deeper into the bunker now. Radio may not reach this far down so I'll go silent"

"Copy. Be careful"

"You too"

As Jack continues the search, his attention is drawn to a slight movement in the dark hallway ahead.

The Talon leader signals his men and the soldiers slowly made their way to the hallway, going straight until the end.

At the end of the hallway is an open door.

Jack heads inside first, into a large room.

The others follow suit.

"Clear" Jack said as they look around.

There was hardly anything noteworthy other than several large cages in the room.

"Where have I seen these before…?" Jack muttered inspecting one of the cages.

He notices claw marks and several bones inside.

"Hmm…" he mutters, searching the cage "… Empty"

Jack stops and ponders for a moment.

"Has anyone found any deathclaw skeletons?" Jack asked

"No sir" the soldiers respond

Jack closes his eyes and inhales.

He then notices the distinct sight of a stealth field.

He quickly throws a pulse grenade and goes towards the figure.

"You thought you could outsmart me?" Jack said aiming his rifle "I suggest you cooperate if you want to get out of here in one piece"

The figure turns around and roars.

The ear-piercing roar stuns Jack and his men before the figure lunges at Jack.

He uses his large back-hand to swat the other soldiers while grabbing the Talon leader.

The grip was tight as Jack struggles to break free.

"What the fuck?!" Jack uttered noticing a large inhuman hand grabbing him. It actually looked more like a claw than a hand.

The other soldiers recover and point their weapons.

The figure then rests his other claw over Jack's neck.

"Don't do anything stupid" the figure said in a raspy tone

The figure slowly moves back.

The soldiers slowly move forward, guns still drawn.

'"Stop!" the figure shouted "One more step and he chokes in his own blood!"

The soldiers stop but still aim their guns.

"Hey. Hey. Easy. Easy" Jack said "There's no need for any deaths today. We can talk this over"

"Quiet!"

"Now. Now. Let's be civil here. You're not a savage killer especially since you tried escaping first. So let's find a peaceful way to address all this"

"Why should I trust you?"

"Look. We're not here to hunt anyone, ok? We're just looking for something in this base"

"This base once belonged to the Enclave. Only their venomous kin know of this place!"

"Not a fan of the Enclave, eh? I get it but trust me. The Enclave that terrorized the wasteland decades ago is gone. We just need something they hid here, alright?"

"What could you possibly need here?"

"That's an excellent question… But it's kind of confidential and a long story so you just gotta trust me on this"

The figure doesn't respond.

"I can't tell you everything" Jack continued "That would endanger thousands of lives"

The figure is still silent.

"Hello?"

Jack then looks at his men, noticing several stealth fields behind them.

"Oh shit…" he uttered as several deathclaws uncloak behind the soldiers, quickly grabbing their guns.

The figure then puts his hood down.

"Sweet mother of mercy…" Jack muttered seeing the face of a deathclaw staring down at him.

"We have plenty of time" the deathclaw answered "Besides, I do love hearing stories from you humans anyway"


	12. The Mist

**Zion Canyon, Sorrow's Camp:**

Alexander approaches Rufus, who was still lying in a bed made of hay.

"Rufus" he said "You feeling alright now?"

"I guess so" he replied "Headache's gone. So where to next?"

"Southeast. A small party of tribesmen went missing there… The courier included"

"When do we move out?"

"You really sure you're ok to move? We'll be exposed to the white noise and some kind of fog"

"You kidding? I've had my limbs crippled, exposed to God knows how much radiation. Hell I was exposed to Vault 106's hallucinogens! This is nothing!"

Alexander sighs as he hears several tribesmen ringing bells around the camp.

"What's going on?" Rufus wondered as the two notice the natives frantically running around the camp.

"The entrance" Alexander said

"Let's go then!"

**The Narrows:**

"Close the gates!" a tribesman shouts as the other natives take up battle positions around the narrows.

"What's going on?" Alexander asked

"The fog! It is coming!"

"Lock and load, Rufus. This'll be a good way to see if you're really well enough to fight"

"Please" Rufus replied cocking his service rifle "I managed to fend off raiders and super mutants while either addicted or hallucinating"

The two soldiers then take up positions just outside the gate as a thick fog covers the entrance to the Narrows, taking cover behind some makeshift barricades.

The fog rests just at the Narrows' entrance.

Almost immediately, loud cries and roars echoed throughout the area.

The natives and soldiers took aim as hordes of feral ghouls emerged from the fog.

"Those aren't regular ferals!" Rufus said noticing the extra appendages on the ghouls' backs

"Well shit!" Alexander replied as they open fire.

A couple of ghouls go down as the natives rain .45 rounds onto the horde while the two soldiers land headshots.

But the ghouls were dangerously getting close to the gates.

"This is not looking good!" Rufus shouts as several natives, armed with wooden shields and spears, run past them "What?"

They quickly form a shield wall.

As the ghouls were within range, the natives stop shooting and the ones in the shield wall engage the ghouls in melee combat, while holding the horde back with their shields.

The tall shields helped prevent the ghouls' appendages from the reaching the natives.

They slowly but surely decimated the ghoul horde.

Within a few minutes the horde was eliminated and the natives cheer.

Rufus and Alexander stand up.

"Well. Well. Well" Alexander said "I guess they didn't survive for 3 months thanks to blind luck"

"Yeah" Rufus replied looking at the fog

"What's wrong, Rufus?"

"I don't know… I just have a bad feeling at the pit of my stomach"

In a split second, Rufus notices movement within the fog.

"Oh shit… IT'S NOT OVER!"

But his cries come too late as several sharp spines fly from the fog.

The spines pierce several natives in several parts of their bodies.

Taken by surprise, the natives once again get into formation while the others drag the dead and injured out of the battle.

Seconds later, 4 creatures emerge from the fog.

"What the fuck are those?!" Rufus said with his eyes wide open

"I have no fucking clue" Alexander replied "

3 feet tall body that barely resembles a slug with scythe-like 'arms'.

Despite their looks, the creatures quickly reach the shield wall formation.

But the wooden shields could hardly do anything to stop the sharp arms of these creatures, who easily pierce through.

The formation quickly crumbles as the natives frantically retreat.

With the frontal forces retreating, the other natives and the two soldiers open fire on the creatures.

2 go down but it required so much ammo while the other 2 reach the gates.

With no time to reload his rifle, Rufus charges towards the two creatures, dodging a swipe from one of the creatures.

He picks up a fallen spear and stabs one in its chest.

The creature hardy flinches and Rufus barely evades another swipe.

"Feels similar to ant carapace" he remarked as one of the creatures fires several spines

He then runs around the creature, dodging another strike as he flicks his right wrist and counters.

He strikes the creature's 'face'.

It swings violently.

Rufus then stabs his left blade onto the creature's head.

It still wasn't dead.

Frustrated, Rufus brings out his Ranger Sequoia and unloads all 5 rounds onto the creature.

It swings around violently before finally falling to the ground.

Rufus then sets his sights on the other creature.

He charges towards it but the creature suddenly burrows underground.

Everyone stops firing.

Rufus reloads his revolver while still searching for the creature.

Suddenly, the creature bursts from the ground behind him.

It attacks him with its arms.

Rufus dodges one attack but fails to dodge the other.

He quickly grabs the arm.

It was sharp as his hands immediately start bleeding all the while struggling to keep the blade away from his face.

The creature attacks with its other arm.

Rufus quickly drops his revolver and grabs the other arm.

"You're a rare sight" he said "Not many creatures are as heavy as you!"

He turns his head to Alexander.

Rufus makes a sucking gesture with his mouth.

The NCR general nods as he grabs something from his pocket.

Rufus then quickly lets go of the creature's arms and steps back.

The arms land on the ground as Alexander throws an inhaler.

Rufus grabs it.

He inhales the drug inside as time quickly slows down.

He rushes towards the creature as it prepares for another attack.

Rufus jumps forward, rolling to the ground before grabbing his revolver.

He fires several shots to the creature's stomach then uses the rest of the rounds on its face.

He then uses both of his hidden blades to stab the creature multiple times in the face and chest.

When time finally normalized for Rufus, the creature collapsed to the ground.

Exhausted, Rufus sits down for a moment.

* * *

**2117:**

**Wyoming**

A Caucasian young man walks inside a cave.

He looks back, seeing a metallic door.

He takes a deep breath and continues to move forward.

After a few minutes, he exits the cave.

Momentarily blinded by the sun, he covers his face.

"You took your time, Zeke!" an Asian young woman said

"Give me a break, Helen" the young man replied "You two were so excited about the mission that you dashed off and my name is Ezekiel, not Zeke!"

"Ezekiel is a mouthful! Zeke sounds shorter and better!"

"You're not excited?" a Hispanic young man said "We hardly see the outside world"

"I don't know about you… But there's a fine line between excitement and recklessness" Ezekiel replied

"Come on, Zeke! Don't pretend like you're not excited" Helen argued "Didn't you have fun when you and me snuck out of the shelter all those years ago? You even admitted to having fun"

"Having fun and trying to stay out of trouble are two different things"

Helen chuckles. "In denial as always. I wonder when you'll be honest with yourself"

Ezekiel sighs. "Let's just get on with the mission and get back. I don't want the mentor punishing us… again"

"Hehehe. Sure"

After a brief moment, Ezekiel takes a glimpse of the ruins of an old pre-war city from their elevated position before the three teenagers began to trek down.

**A few minutes later:**

The three teenagers reach the outskirts of the old city.

Most of the buildings have crumbled but a few continue to stand tall. One could still see old Halloween and celebratory decorations all over the town.

"Could you just imagine what this place looked like when the bombs fell…?" Helen said "All these decorations… They were celebrating something before it all went to hell"

"Yeah…" Ezekiel responded "Poor souls…"

"A sad sight yeah…" the Hispanic added "… Welp. No use being gloomy about it. We all know why all this happened"

"Yeah…" Helen said "Alright! Let's get this started, everyone has their weapons locked and loaded?"

"Yeah" Ezekiel replied cocking his MP5k

"Of course" the Hispanic responded brandishing his 10mm SMG

Helen then switches to a more serious tone in her voice. "Ok. Scout the city and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. You know what to do when shit hits the fan. All's good?"

"Yes" the two teenagers answered

"Ok. We split up. Miguel you search the super duper mart. Ezekiel, the office buildings in the center of town are yours. I'll cover the police and fire stations. If you find anything wrong, radio it in. Got it?"

"Got it!"

As Helen and Miguel move to their objectives, Ezekiel stands there for a moment as his eyes suddenly widen.

"Wait" he thought checking his chest "Did I forget to- Oh wait no. Pendant's here"

After a brief moment, Ezekiel checks his hidden blades and slings his MP5 before approaching a nearby wall.

He climbs to the 3rd floor of the building, beginning his search.

But as the young man reaches the 3rd floor, several glitches begin to appear around the area as everything begins to flash blue and red.

Seconds later, everything is engulfed in a bright white light

* * *

Ezekiel then finds himself in what appears to be a white empty space with lines and blocks constantly moving around the 'world'.

A voice of a young man echoes in this empty white world. "What? What happened?"

"I was afraid of that" an elderly German voice replied "The animus ejected you"

"What does that mean?"

"It seems we skipped too much. I was worried when the synchronization was less than 60% when we began accessing Ezekiel's memories"

"So what do we do?"

"I guess this means there are still some memories from Raven we must witness"

"What else is there to see? They already found the weapons caches and are preparing an assault against Vault-Tec"

"We won't know until we witness these memories ourselves. Now rest for a bit while I reconfigure the animus"

* * *

**2312**

**East fork bridge, Zion Canyon:**

**A few hours later:**

"Rufus" Alexander said turning to his friend "You still ok?"

"I can barely see what's front of me. Don't worry" he answered "We took mentats remember?"

"Mentats will only help us remain level-headed not prevent the hallucinations"

"I know… But believe it or not, I have encountered something like this before"

"You have? Where?"

"Dunwich"

"That creepy place? I've heard reports of supernatural events happening there. Spooked a lot of my men years ago"

"Yep… You won't believe anything I say about that place until you see it for yourself…"

"Riight… I'll just take your word on that"

As the two neared the other end, a horde of 'feral' ghouls emerged from the fog.

"Great…" Rufus said aiming his rifle "All this shit reminds me of an old pre-war movie I watched back in the vault"

"Yeah great" Alexander replied "Tell more about it after we're done with this shit!"

The ghouls quickly notice the two and charges forward.

Rufus and Alexander open fire, taking a few ghouls down.

Reaching melee range, the two sling their rifles with Rufus engaging the ghouls with his hidden blades while Alexander brings out a combat knife and his revolver.

Rufus makes quick swipes and stabs in the ghouls' necks and head.

Alexander dodges one attack from a ghoul and stabs its head.

He pulls the ghoul to the side and fires his revolver point blank at another's head before shooting the other ghoul's head.

Within a few minutes, the area was clear.

"Goddamn it. These creatures just keep coming!" Rufus said checking his Pip-boy map "Damn it. Still far away…"

"No use bitching about it" Alexander said as the ground begins to shake a bit

The two soldiers stop and stare at one another as the shaking continues.

Rufus stares a nearby bucket of water.

For each shake, there was a ripple in the bucket.

He closes his eyes and exhales. "Goddamn it…"

Suddenly, two gigantic 'hands' grab the bridge's ledge.

A creature pulls itself up.

Rufus raises his eyebrows. "You have got to be shitting me…"

It looked like a red large creature made of flesh that seemed to be fused together like a centaur with a barely recognizable human head.

It had a posture similar to a gorilla.

Its arms, hands, head, and back are covered in a whitish spiky carapace.

One could hardly recognize the creature it mutated from…

"Hey Alex" Rufus said nervously "Please tell me you know how to kill this thing…"

Alexander replies with a nervous laugh.

"Great… Suddenly I miss centaurs…"

The creature roars and charges towards the two men.

They open fire but the creatures barely flinches.

Both men roll to the side, barely evading the creature.

Rufus quickly crouches and fires several shots to the creature's 'head'.

The creature roars and spits a yellowish liquid.

"Oh shit!" Rufus said rolling out of the way "Alex! It spits acid!"

The two men continue laying fire, all the while evading the creature's attacks.

But the creature showed no signs of slowing down…

"We're gonna run out of ammo before this thing starts getting tired!" Rufus said

Alexander then looks around and barely sees the shallow river below.

He looks at the creature, who was preparing for another charge.

"Hey Rufus" he said "You think we can make this jump?"

"Do you really want to ask that? Do we even have any other choice?"

"Point taken"

Alexander quickly slings his rifle and throws a flashbang.

The two men shield their eyes as the grenade detonates, disorienting the creature.

Both men quickly jump the bridge as the creature recovers.

They hide right under the bridge as the creature searches for them.

The fog made it hard for the two men to know exactly where the creature was but the shaking ground was enough to say it was still close.

As the minutes go by, the shaking slowly subsides and eventually stops.

The two men exhale as Alexander hold his head.

"How much experimentation did Vault-Tec do?" Rufus said in frustration

"The better question is how much experimentation Vault-Tec, the old US government, the Master, and a lot of research centers have done… I don't think Vault-Tec has enough resources to build vaults, conduct experiments, create abominations, make an entire fucking army, develop and supply weapons to said army, and manipulate post-war politics"

"So we're still haunted by our pre-war and post-war sins…"

"Unfortunately so… But we're gonna correct that"

"Too right man…"

After a few more minutes of hiding, the two men decided to walk through the river, headed to the Eastern Virgin.

* * *

Back in the animus, Ezekiel's character model changes to that of Raven's.

"Hey doc" a young voice said "How far are we going back?"

"Just a few hours it seems…" an old man with a German accent replied "The simulation should finish loading soon"

* * *

**2117:**

Raven opens his eyes, staring into his right palm, before exhaling.

He was sitting down in an infirmary and in front of the him was a middle-aged Caucasian doctor

The doctor checks a chart and several files before turning to the commando.

"These tests confirm it…" the doctor said putting the files down "Your brain is deteriorating"

"Damn it… Any reason as to why?"

"We're not entirely sure but we suspect it has something to do with decades of radiation exposure"

"But I was wearing the sneaking suit the entire time. It should have protected me from the radiation"

"I guess some trace amounts managed to seep through and given you've been operating in highly irradiated areas for decades now, this is no surprise. Not to mention that weird mutation you and your team underwent over the years"

"Goddamn it… So what's gonna happen to me and how soon is it going to happen?"

"I don't know… Pre-war medicine never encountered something like this before… But based on these results, I say you'll lose a lot of cognitive functions… Worst I can think of is Alzheimer's"

Raven gives a disappointed sigh. "Thank you, doctor"

He then leaves the room.

He sighs again as he walks through a narrow metallic hallway

"Alzheimer's huh…" he thought with a worried look on his face "Just when I was about to attain justice… Nice goddamn timing…"

He then runs into a middle-aged Asian woman in the halls.

She was wearing a master assassin's robes with the hood down, showing her short brown hair.

"Ah, Raven" she said "I'm glad I ran into you"

"Mentor Rian" he responded "What can I do for you?"

"Please, no need to call me 'mentor'. You're not one of my apprentices"

"Alright. So what do you need?"

"I have something to share with you. Let's go to the training area"

"Ok. After you"

After a couple of minutes, the two reached the training area.

It was filled with teenagers, all practicing various techniques in hand-to-hand combat, parkour, marksmanship, and other essential skills.

"Raven" the mentor said opening a door to a small room "Step right in"

Raven obliges as the mentor closes the door behind her.

They sit down across one another.

"I'll get straight to the point" the mentor said "While you were away, we lost the base in Seattle"

"We lost the Seattle base? Ho- Vault-Tec"

"Yes… They found the base somehow. I sent every available assassin I could to evacuate any survivors… We managed to rescue a few but the rest…"

"Damn it…"

"As a precaution, I've sent all of my best assassins to inspect every base in the country. Anyway, I'll be sending 3 initiates to scout the nearby city for any suspicious activity, your grandson is among them"

"Ezekiel? But it's only been a year since his training. Will he be ok?"

"I understand your concern but don't worry. Your grandson has demonstrated great potential. That and I would like to test his skills on the field. These initiates have yet to test their skills in an actual scenario and with our current situation, it is better they at least have some experience"

"I understand but they're not ready to take on Vault-Tec's squads. Why not send my team? We're ready to deploy"

"You guys would stand out. Vault-Tec knows you already and just spotting you is enough for them to narrow their search"

"Right… Damn it. So who are the other 2 initiates?"

"Here. Both of them are around your grandson's age"

The mentor then hands over two dossiers.

"Helen Ruz and Miguel Villapol… An Asian and a Hispanic. I know Helen. She's been Ezekiel's friend since childhood. But who is this Miguel person?"

"Miguel is one of the few survivors from the Seattle base. He was training at our Seattle Bureau for some time now"

"So am I to assume that these three are your best initiates?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I'll only send them to conduct recon. Nothing more, nothing less"

Raven ponders for a moment. "I guess we don't have many options and time. Go ahead. I'll start planning our assault on the island"

"Ok"

"By the way. I'd like a report on the attack on the Seattle base"

"Of course. We prepared that for you actually"

The mentor then stands up and searches through her files and brings out a folder.

She hands it over to the commando.

"Read it privately though" she advised

Raven nods and grabs the folder.

The two stand up and leave the room.

Raven then looks at the training area.

He sees Kira providing firearms training to some of the initiates.

After a short while, he makes his way to his quarters.

Along the way, he sees Charles and Paul playing dodgeball with some of the kids.

As he walks through the hallway, Raven begins to think about his pre-war days.

His time at the CIA, the period he began to hunt down Alec Oppenheim.

The panic he felt during the opening hours of the Great War.

"Dad?"

The relief he felt after finding his family.

"Dad"

The ruins that he searched during the first few years after the war.

"Dad"

He was finally close to attaining the justice that he failed to achieved all those years ago.

"Dad!"

Raven goes back to reality as he sees his daughter in front of him.

"Oh" he said "What's up, sunshine?"

The woman sighs. "You ok, dad? You seem to be deep in thought"

"It's nothing… Just remembering… uh… old memories"

"Ok… Anyway, it's nice to see you again. You've been gone longer now"

"Oh yeah… Sorry… I hope you understand why I go out into the wastes"

"Don't worry. I had so many years to get over the loneliness. And I understand what you're doing. Those scavenging missions are to find parts, items, etc. etc. that can help improve and maintain this shelter, right?"

"O-Oh right. You remembered. I thought you forgot cuz you were such a rowdy girl years back"

"Oh come on dad! I was a teenager! And that was a long, LONG time ago"

"Hehehe. Well as a parent, it still feels like yesterday. Don't you feel the same way with Ezekiel?"

"Yeah that's true. Kids do grow up fast, huh?"

"Hehe. Well I'm glad you're understanding. Normally, a child wouldn't forgive their parent for doing something like this"

"Yeah well you and mom raised me well enough. Besides, you've been home a couple of times and stayed long enough to spend time with me"

"Hahaha! Ah… That takes me back…"

"Anyway, dad. I need to ask. Will you be in Ezekiel's 21st birthday? He really idolizes his grandpa"

"Does he now… I guess all those pre-war stories I told him and his friend, really stuck to him. When's his birthday again?"

"September 11"

Raven ponders for a moment. "Well… I got no plans at the moment so yeah I think I can go"

"That's great. Ezekiel is gonna be happy to hear that"

"Right. Anyway, I gotta go to my room to rest. You take care of yourself now"

"I will. See you later, dad!"

Raven waves goodbye to his daughter as she turns in the next corner.

He sighs just as she was out of sight.

The commando then enters his room.

In an office table, he looks at a picture of his late wife.

He looks at her with sorrow. "Justice is within reach, honey… It's too bad you didn't live long enough to see Oppenheim brought to justice…"

He then opens the folder and begins reading the report.

"July 6th, 2117. Scavengers report all areas they went to have been looted dry. Some find it suspicious as there was no human settlement nearby… Officials theorized nomads to be the cause and do not conduct further recon.

July 11th. Sentries report movement within the city ruins. Assassin initiates were sent to investigate. All reported to have found nothing… Wait. One of these initiates… was this Miguel person…

July 14th. Some weapons and supplies have been reported missing after a morning inquiry. An investigation was conducted but found nothing…

July 18th. Around 3am, Vault-Tec personnel entered the shelter through the front door and took the occupants by surprise. The occupants quickly organized a defense and alerted the Wyoming base of the attack.

July 19th. Holding out for a day, the occupants prepared to evacuate as reinforcements arrived. Vault-Tec retaliated with anti-air missiles and jets. Many vertibirds lost… All files were purged before evacuation"

Raven stops reading for a while and focuses on the first few days of the report.

* * *

**2312**

**Dead Horse's Camp:**

Rufus and Alexander finally reach the last known location of the missing natives but the find an empty camp.

With their guard up, the two men investigate each tent.

Nothing.

Rufus notices spent casings on the ground while Alexander notices slashed pieces of cloth.

They eventually come across a cave.

Inside, they find another encampment with a lit fire at the center.

"Hey" Rufus said pointing to a native sitting down in front of the fire "I see someone"

The native has his back turned to the two men.

Alexander nods before calling the native. "Hey. Are you with the sorrows?"

The native raises his head, still having his turned.

"Are you with the sorrow?" Alexander calls again as they slowly walk closer

No response but the two men could hear frantic breathing.

"Hey" Alexander said "Are you alright?"

The man screams, grabs a war club, and turns around. His eyes were bloodshot, his hands were shaking, and he was sweating… a lot.

"Whoah there" Rufus said "Stay calm. We're not gonna kill you"

The native spoke in a frantic tone but the two men did not understand him.

The two men look at one another.

Alexander walks closer but the man screams and swings his club.

Alexander steps back.

"Shit…" he said "This guy's paranoid… Maybe we should have brought one of the natives with us… I can't understand what he's saying"

Meanwhile, Rufus notices something on Alexander's right.

He squints his eyes, trying to see what it is.

"Rufus?" Alexander said as Rufus walks past him

Rufus doesn't reply as he looks at some cave drawings.

It was a crude drawing of a 2 stick figures. One was standing behind the other, ready to stab it.

Rufus exhales and quickly swings his rifle. He hits an invisible target as a bowie knife drops to the floor.

"Alex!" Rufus shouted "Invisible target!"

The invisible assailant then attacks again.

Rufus slings his rifle and defensively engages the target.

With little means to see his target, Rufus was on the defensive as he slowly walks back towards the cave's entrance.

Eventually, the hostile's stealth boy expires, revealing a woman wearing a sleeveless black coat with a US commonwealth flag on the back.

Only her eyes can be seen as she is also wearing a breathing mask and she has short brown hair.

With his target finally in sight, Rufus goes on the offensive using his hidden blades.

The hostile parries both attacks with her dual combat knives, holding them backhand.

Rufus attempts to kick his adversary's stomach but the woman blocks the attack with her left leg.

The wanderer quickly draws his Ranger Sequoia but the woman grabs his right hand and raises the gun, causing him to miss his shots.

The woman then grabs Rufus' other hand as he attempts another attack with his hidden blade, ending in a deadlock.

The two stare at one another as they use all their strength to gain the upper hand but both are equally matched.

Rufus then flicks his right wrist. The hidden blade pierces through the woman's hand.

But his adversary hardly flinched and maintained her grip.

"Hey!" Alexander shouted aiming his rifle "Hands up! Now!"

The woman turns to the NCR general, leering at him.

She then knees Rufus in the stomach.

"What?!" Rufus said in shock as he recoils from the attack "How?!"

The woman then let's go of Rufus' left arm and punches him in the face.

She quickly turns to the NCR general, who opens fire.

He hits her in the shoulders and, eventually, the head.

She recoils a bit after the headshot but quickly recovers.

She cracks her neck before proceeding to briskly walk towards her target.

She throws one knife, hitting the general's left shoulder.

Rufus charges towards her.

His adversary turns around and counters with a punch.

Rufus grabs the fist and throws her to the ground.

The woman quickly rolls to the side and sweeps through Rufus' legs.

Rufus falls to the ground.

His adversary stands up and attempts to stab Rufus' head.

The wanderer quickly uses both hidden blades to stop the adversary from stabbing him with her knife.

The blade was just near his right eye as he struggles to keep it away.

Meanwhile, Alexander brings out his pistol but notices some rope tied around the crazy native's ankles.

"This guy's tied up…" he remarked as the native tries to move.

He then goes deeper into the cave, finding more crazed natives with their ankles tied by some rope.

Realizing something, the NCR general quickly makes his way back to the two fighters as he notices the ground shake.

He goes back to the cave entrance but the two fighters aren't there.

He goes outside, finding them standing and facing one another, waiting for one to attack first…

Rufus readies his hidden blades and readies himself as his adversary brings out her 9mm pistol, wielding it in tandem with her knife.

Before Alexander could say anything, the large creature from East Fork Bridge emerges from the cliffs.

The two fighters quickly jump out of the way, both landing just in front of Alexander.

Rufus and his adversary look at one another.

Rufus nods.

His adversary's response is the same.

The two quickly rush the creature who swings its massive arms.

Rufus slides down while his adversary fires several shots onto the creature's 'head'.

The creature attempts to crush her but she quickly jumps out of the way and climbs onto the creature's back.

She unloads the rest of her magazine onto the creature's back.

The creature thrashes about, trying to shake her off.

Rufus takes the opportunity to get near the creature's stomach.

Using his Ranger Sequoia he unloads onto the creature's stomach.

The creature responds by attempting to crush the wanderer.

He jumps out of the way as it grabs the adversary.

It slams her to the ground with tremendous force and throws her into the cave's wall.

The creature then turns to Rufus, who stands up and reloads his revolver.

The creature charges towards him.

Rufus unloads his revolver and jumps out of the way.

The creature prepares to charge again as Rufus withdraws his hidden blade.

He inhales some jet.

Time slows around him as he brings out a small reddish tin can with a blue and red wire sticking out of it.

He shakes the can as he stares at the creature.

He exhales as the creature begins its charge.

Rufus throws the tin can and quickly takes aim.

He holds his breath as the can drops past the creature's 'head'.

The second the can was near its 'stomach', the wanderer fires a single shot.

The bullet hits the can, erupting into a blue and orange fireball.

The explosions causes the creature to recoil as the force destroys the 'armor' around its chest and stomach area, revealing a huge pulsating yellow sac.

Rufus quickly unloads the rest of his ammo but the creature quickly curls into a ball, trying to protect its exposed weakness.

With the jet's effects wearing off, Rufus reloads his revolver and continues to fire but the creature remains immobile and hardly flinched.

Rufus then grabs another one of those grenades but someone grabs his left arm.

It was his adversary.

She was bleeding from the head but amazingly, she could still move as if the beating she endured minutes ago was nothing.

The woman briskly walks to the creature and jumps on its back.

With just her bare hands, the woman forcefully pulls the creature back, exposing its weakness.

The creature tries to resist but the woman hardly broke a sweat.

Seeing the opportunity, Rufus quickly grabs his rifle and unloads upon the creature, all the while walking closer and closer upon his target.

The creature roars and flails but the woman keeps it from curling back up.

Eventually, Rufus' rifle runs out of ammo, prompting him to switch to his revolver.

He fires with only his right hand while his left was holding the rifle.

The yellow sac eventually erupts.

The creature releases one final roar before finally falling to the ground, dead.

The area was finally cleared as Rufus and the woman stare at one another.

Their eyes squint as Rufus flicks his wrists and the woman reaches for her knife.

"Hey!" Alexander said before the two fighters could do anything "Are you the courier?"

The woman leers at the general.

"Look. We may have gone off the wrong foot here. We were sent by Chief Waking Cloud to find some missing natives"

The woman inhales and exhales, making an ominous sound as she does.

"You're the courier, aren't you? The one who paved the way to an independent New Vegas?"

The woman does not reply.

"We're not your enemies. Please believe us"

The woman stands up and walks a bit closer to the general with Rufus not letting his guard down.

"And why should I believe you?" the woman replied

Alexander then brings out his NCR badge. "I'm with the NCR. I think you know what's been happening lately and-"

The woman quickly points her 9mm pistol at Alexander's face.

Rufus quickly aims his revolver.

"Rufus wait" Alexander said signaling the wanderer to lower his gun

"Yes. I've heard about the NCR's recent activities these days… You know. Invading other territories just because they couldn't take New Vegas. Harassing New Vegas from the border. Heh… I'm no stranger from NCR's dirty tactics. I should know. You tried to have me do your dirty work all those years ago. So what are you really after?"

"Ah yes… I know that the NCR did some horrible shit but you have got to believe me, there is a much bigger enemy out there and we need to unite every single faction in the wasteland to defeat this threat"

"Really now? You're saying all this without bullshit?"

"Yes. No bullshit. The old conflicts we all had is over. You won your independence. No use continuing the animosity…"

The woman squints her eyes.

For the next few minutes, the three individuals stood there, not knowing what will happen next…

"Ok" the woman said lowering her gun "I'll hear your story but under the condition that we destroy the source for this fog and white noise"

"So you know that these aren't natural"

"Of course. Who do you think I am?"

"Fair enough. You ok with those terms, Rufus?"

"Sounds good to me" Rufus replied "We were running out of mentats anyway"

"You got a deal"

Alexander then extends his right hand.

The woman leers at him.

"My name is Alexander" he said "Pleased to finally meet the courier who defeated Oliver"

"The name's Laura" the woman replies shaking Alexander's hand "Let's go. Day's not gonna last forever"


	13. Resistance

Raven finds himself in the same white empty space.

This time, several cubes began to move and form together, seemingly at random.

"So doc" a young male voice echoed "We're moving onto Ezekiel now?"

"Yes" the German doctor replied "It seems we have completed all the necessary memories for Raven. Ezekiel's memory should start where we left off"

"Finally"

Raven's character model then switches to that of Ezekiel's.

**Wyoming**

**2117:**

Inside a destroyed building's 4th floor, Ezekiel scans the streets below, through a destroyed wall, with his binoculars.

"My area's clear" he reported in the radio

"No signs of anyone on mine either" Helen answered

"Devoid of life on my end too" Miguel responded

"Copy that" Ezekiel replied putting his binoculars away "I'll head further into town as planned"

"Roger. Be careful" Helen responded

After putting his radio away, the initiate stands at the edge of the destroyed room.

It's a straight drop to the ground below.

He looks around, spotting a collapsed portion of the building connecting to the building across the street like a bridge.

The initiate quickly jumps onto the unstable bridge.

It moves a bit but stabilizes.

He then runs across, ending up on the 2nd floor of the other building.

As he steps on the floor, gun shots echo around the town.

Instinctively, Ezekiel hides behind a wall.

"Did you guys hear that?" Helen asked

"Yep" Ezekiel answered

"Ditto" Miguel replied

"Based on the sound" Ezekiel continued "They're closer to my position"

"Zeke" Helen said "Don't even think about-"

"Sorry Helen but I got some suspicious noises to investigate"

"What?! Darn it, Zeke! Miguel. You're closer. Can you rendezvous with Zeke?"

"I gotcha! Don't worry. I'll keep your boyfriend safe!"

"H-He's not my boyfriend!"

* * *

Landing on a flat roof, Ezekiel crouches and slowly walks towards the edge.

He takes a peek on the street below.

"5 individuals" he muttered "Rifles… SMGs… Looks like they were attacked by molerats"

As he stands up, Ezekiel feels someone tap his shoulder.

The initiate quickly turns around, grabs the individual's arm with his left hand while grabbing his MP5k with his right.

With one hand, he aims his submachinegun at the individual's head.

"Miguel?" he uttered

"Hehe… Hi" Miguel replied as Ezekiel puts his gun down

"Damn it man. I almost shot you"

"Sorry. So what'd you find?"

"5 unidentified individuals. 2 armed with hunting rifles and 3 with HK416s. Judging from their armor, they're most likely raiders"

"Raiders huh…"

"I'm thinking of letting them pass but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know… I just have this bad feeling about them… I can't really put my finger on it but they don't feel like raiders to me"

"Feel like raiders? You got a 6th sense or something?"

"Hard to describe man. Something feels off about them and I think we're better off letting them go"

Miguel then takes a peek himself.

"You sure you don't want to take em out?" he asked

"What? Why?"

"Come on. It'll be good practice. We can even have a contest on who can get the most stealth kills"

"You seem eager to kill them"

"Well they're rubbing me the wrong way too"

"What's your assessment?"

"Dunno… The assault on the Seattle base started with "raider groups" appearing so suddenly near the shelter"

"You think they're from Vault-Tec?"

"Possibly… That's why we gotta take em out. They'll be a huge threat if I'm right. And if I'm wrong, then it's just one less raider group in the wasteland"

"You do have a point…"

"Call me paranoid but… I just don't want Seattle to happen all over again"

Ezekiel then ponders for a moment. "… Alright. Let's take them out"

"Nice!"

"So what's the plan?"

"You tell me. Aren't you the academic out of us 3?"

"Hmm…"

Ezekiel peeks down once again.

2 raiders lean on a church's wall while the other 3 enter the premises.

"Hey Miguel" he said "You any good with a rope dart?"

"You kidding?" the other initiate replied "The mentor basically drilled all that knowledge and skill into my head"

"Heh. Let's see who gets more stealth kills then. Count starts after we assassinate the two outside"

"Oh yeah. Loser takes up guard duty for a week?"

"Deal. I hope you're ready to sit down and stare at security monitors for a week!"

"Oh hoho. It's on!"

The two initiates fire their rope darts, hitting the church's roof.

They nod at one another before the mechanism starts pulling them across.

As they see their targets below them, Ezekiel disengages his rope dart first.

He lands on top of his target and quickly stabs his throat.

Startled, the other raider points his rifle at the initiate but Miguel lands on top of him.

The other initiate then stabs the raider's neck as Ezekiel stealthily enters the church via a window.

Crouching behind some rubble, the 3 raiders each scour a different corner of the church.

The initiate slowly makes his way to one of the raiders.

After flicking both wrists, he stabs the raider the neck and as she turns around, Ezekiel slashes her throat.

She falls on her knees as Ezekiel covers her mouth.

"1 for me" he whispered, as he turns to his next target.

He observes the 2 raiders for a while. They were too close to one another to immediately act as well as a small open space was between them and the initiate.

But one raider then moves towards the back of the church.

Seeing the opportunity, Ezekiel quickly makes his way to his target.

As he prepares for another assassination, a dart flies past him and hits the raider's neck.

The raider touches his neck while turning around.

He begins to cough as he falls to his knees.

Seconds later, he collapse to the floor and dies.

Ezekiel turns around, seeing Miguel crouching on top of a ledge on the 2nd floor.

His right arm was extended, pointing to where the raider was.

He smirks as he uses his rope dart to climb onto the roof via a hole.

With a grunt, Ezekiel sprints to where the last raider went while still crouching.

As he rushes to the 2nd floor, he hears gunshots above him.

"Miguel!" he uttered running to the top floor.

Rushing to the bell tower, Ezekiel spots the raider opening fire on Miguel as he rappels down inside the church through the hole.

The raider runs to the hole but Ezekiel opens fire with his MP5k.

His shots graze the raider's legs.

The raider switches targets and returns fire.

Ezekiel jumps back to the bell tower as the bullets cause the bell to ring.

The initiate then throws a smoke bomb.

The roof is covered in smoke as Ezekiel quickly breaks cover and charges through the smoke.

He spots a silhouette through the smoke.

He fires a burst before slinging his MP5k.

His shots hit but it didn't seem the raider was affected by the damage.

He then attempts to stab the raider's legs with his hidden blades.

But his opponent grabs his right arm and throws him.

Ezekiel barely manages to grab onto the roof's ledge.

He spots his opponent aim his HK416.

The initiate is forced to let go as a couple of shots fly over his head as he falls.

Acting fast, Ezekiel fires his rope dart and pulls himself back to the roof.

The raider aims his rifle but Miguel charges through the smoke and attacks him.

The raider blocks Miguel's hidden blades with his rifle.

He quickly lets go of his rifle and grabs both of the initiate's arms.

With his hidden blades rendered useless, Miguel struggles to resist the raider as he slowly pushes him to the roof's edge.

Ezekiel quickly jumps on the raider's back, causing him to let go of Miguel.

He attempts to stab the raider in the neck but the raider manages to either dodge the strike or move wildly enough for the initiate to miss.

Unfortunately, he loses his footing and the two tumble down the roof.

Ezekiel holds onto the ledge as the raider grabs his left leg.

"Zeke!" Helen shouted from a building across the street.

At that moment, Ezekiel lets go of the ledge and aims his right gauntlet at the raider while his left hand rests near the elbow.

Upon pressing a button, his gauntlet fires a single bullet, hitting the raider's head.

He quickly fires his rope dart at the church's wall, stopping his descent as the raider's body falls to the ground.

He then rappels down as Miguel and Helen meet up with him.

"Zeke!" Helen said "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine" he replied

"Miguel?"

"I'm ok"

"Good" Helen said as she approaches Ezekiel

With a sigh, she punches him in the face.

"Helen?!" Miguel said as he parries her punch

But Helen knees him in the stomach.

Miguel collapses to the ground, holding his stomach.

"That hurt, you know!" he complained

"Oh?" Helen replied "Well good! Because I don't get what random thought went over both your thick skulls to do this shit!"

"What do you mean?"

"Our goddamn orders are to scout the area! Not kill any suspicious people we see!"

"Come on, Helen. These raiders were kinda suspicious. The attack on the Seattle base started with a group of raiders"

"And you think killing this specific group is gonna do anything?

"Well yeah!"

"You're a moron then! Goddamn it… Let's go back to the shelter… I hope the mentor doesn't grind us to dust for this…"

"Wait. Shouldn't we check on these corpses first?"

"Why? They're already dead"

"Look. Maybe we can find proof that they're Vault-Tec scouts"

Helen sighs. "…Fine but we're heading straight back right after we're done…"

As the three were about to check the corpses, they hear the familiar sound of vertibird engines reverberate around the old town.

"Vertibirds?" Ezekiel wondered as the three stare at one another and nod.

They each fire their rope darts, quickly climbing to the top of the church.

From their vantage point, they spot several vertibirds lift off from their hidden shelter.

"Why are our vertibirds launching?" Ezekiel asked

"So much for being subtle…" Miguel remarked as the vertibirds fly northeast of their shelter.

Sensing something may be wrong, the three teenagers nod at one another and proceeded to return to their shelter.

* * *

**2312**

**Ranger Station Peregrine, Zion Canyon:**

"Hey Laura" Rufus said "Shouldn't we check on your wounds? You got a bit of a beating from that creature after all"

Laura turns around.

"What the?!" Rufus exclaimed as there was not a single wound or bruise on the courier's body "Wow…"

"Can we move on?"

"Um… Yeah… So… Where to next?"

Laura checks on her Pipboy.

She tinkers a bit on the menus before turning to the wanderer. "Straight ahead. Signal's stronger in… that direction"

"How'd you get your Pipboy to track signals like that? I can't get mine to do that"

"I tinkered with it a couple of times since I got it decades ago"

"Wow. You handy with electronics?"

"A bit. Had to learn a lot of skills to survive"

"Impressive. Maybe once we're done here, you can teach me how a couple of those skills"

"Don't push your luck. Our cooperation is only temporary"

"Wait" Alexander interjected "Laura. When you tinkered with that Pipboy, did you disable the tracker?"

"What tracker?"

"Shit"

Puzzled, Laura approaches the general. "What are you talking about?"

"Every Pipboy has a tracker" he replied "Vault-Tec uses them to keep tabs on the dwellers that are out of their vaults"

"Vault-Tec? Vault-Tec is dead"

"You're wrong there" Rufus added

"Anyway" Alexander said approaching Laura "We gotta disable that tracker before-"

The courier pulls her hand away and aims her 9mm pistol at the general.

"Whoah there" he said "You gotta trust me when I say that we need to disable that tracker"

"Look" Rufus said "Whatever is happening here is way bigger than the NCR, the Legion, or even New Vegas itself. So we gotta cooperate"

"Yeah. I've heard that NCR crap before. Also, the Legion? You mean the remnants down south?"

"Remnants or no, they're still the Legion. But that's beside the point. We can't continue suspecting each other! There are bigger things at stake!"

"Neither of you are touching my Pipboy. I'll check for this 'tracker' once we're done here"

"Not a good idea" Alexander responded "If me and Rufus are right, then we'll be in serious trouble once we reach the source of that signal"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there"

"Please listen to me! We have to-"

"Fine" Rufus interrupted "Have it your way"

"Rufus?!"

"We can't change her mind. Besides, she's a tough one given that last fight. I think we can manage a Vault-Tec ambush"

Alexander sighs. "Shit… No use debating when two wasteland legends agree on this… But I do hope you two remember that I'm not an enhanced human that's been twisted the wasteland"

"Sure. Sure, princess" Laura responded "We'll keep you safe"

"Want us to hold your hand while we climb?" Rufus added

"Oh now you two decide to team up" Alexander responded

**The Spine**

**A few minutes later:**

"This is it" Laura said as they stop at the end of a cliff, which was oddly devoid of fog.

"Here?" Rufus wondered, looking around "There isn't anything here"

"We're close to the Southern Passage too" Alexander added "Me and Rufus didn't notice anything when we first came here. Far as I know, the transmitter should stand out like a sore thumb"

"My Pipboy has never been wrong about these signals before" Laura retorted "Also, how do you know what the transmitter looks like?"

"Don't hold this against me but I've seen them before. I never used one but can't say the same for the other NCR generals"

"Heh… Typical. NCR playing dirty as always"

"Can't argue with that…"

"Anyway" Rufus interrupted "The fog doesn't seem to reach this place… So Laura may be on to something"

"That's true…" Alexander replied "The fog seems to cover the entire canyon except this area. Hmm… You could be right. Let's take a look around"

Meanwhile, in a cliff overlooking The Spine, several invisible individuals take their positions at the edge.

Each one observes the three individuals below with their scopes.

"Targets in sight" one of them said in a monotone robotic voice "Awaiting directive"

"Execute" a voice on their radios replied

The second they hear the command, the invisible assailants all fire their rifles.

Laura quickly looks towards the cliff before pushing Alexander and Rufus out of the way.

One shot hits the ground.

Another lands on the Courier's torso.

And the 3rd bullet hits her leg.

"Laura!" Rufus said

"I'm fine!" Laura replied pointing towards the cliff "Snipers!"

"Damn it!"

Rufus quickly grabs Alexander's arm and ducks as 3 more bullets fly above them.

The wanderer quickly runs and hides behind some rocks while Laura opens fire with her M1903 Springfield rifle.

The enemy snipers quickly disperse as Laura runs to Rufus' side.

The battlefield grows silent as clouds cover the sun.

"You know where they are?" Rufus asked

"Cliffs" Laura answered "Ahead of us"

"Snipers, right? You got a bead on them?"

"More or less. Looks like they displaced after I shot at them"

"Good enough. You seem to be more enhanced than me so I'll draw their fire. You take them out. Sounds good?"

"Yep" Laura replied reloading her rifle "I'm ready"

Rufus nods as he brings out his service rifle while Laura positions herself behind a huge rock, scanning the cliffs for the 3 targets.

With a deep breath, the wanderer breaks cover and begins firing on the cliffs, unsure if he is being precise with his shots.

He stops firing after a couple of shots, the battlefield still being silent.

He looks around, spotting nothing out of the ordinary.

"DUCK!" Laura shouted, prompting Rufus to comply.

He hears a gunshot and a bullet quickly flies past him.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed

"Another one!"

"What?!"

Rufus quickly rolls to the side as another bullet lands on the spot he was on.

"You found where they are?" he asked

"Almost" Laura replied scanning the cliffs "I still need a couple more shots to narrow my search"

Rufus sighs as he scans the cliffs once more.

As Rufus continues to act as bait, Laura focuses her attention on the leftmost part of the cliffs.

She zooms her scope into an area near the edge.

She quickly pick up the sound of a gunshot.

This time, she spots a muzzle flash.

She fires a single shot on the estimated location of her opponent as Rufus narrowly dodges the bullet.

She observes the area she fired upon, holding her breath.

Seconds later, she spots a figure uncloak.

It was wearing what appears to be a black stealth suit, her bullet had hit its mark.

"One down" she announced pulling back her rifle's bolt.

"Nice!" Rufus said hiding behind some rocks "Let me catch my breath"

As Rufus catches his breath, he notices a familiar distortion on the corner of his right eye.

He quickly draws his revolver and fires.

His bullet lands on his assailant's leg.

"What's with everyone and stealth boys around here?!" he exclaimed as the assailant lunges towards him.

The wanderer fires several more shots, all landing in the torso and legs.

But the injuries did not hinder the assailant as it draws its ripper.

Rufus rolls to side as Laura diverts her attention to the adversary in front of him.

"Focus on the other sniper!" Rufus exclaimed as he grabs the assailant's right arm, stopping the ripper from reaching his head.

Laura nods as she scans the cliffs for the other sniper.

She hears a gunshot but fails to spot the muzzle flash.

The bullet lands on Rufus' left leg.

He flinches as his assailant punches him in the face.

Rufus falls to the ground.

His assailant jumps and tries to stab Rufus with his ripper.

The wanderer quickly blocks the ripper with both his hidden blades, resulting in sparks forming near Rufus' face as the ripper's chain grinds against his hidden blades.

Rufus struggles to keep the ripper away from his face as the assailant proves to be stronger.

Alexander quickly aims his rifle and opens fire on the assailant.

He hits the assailant but it hardly flinches.

"Tough guy, huh?" Alexander uttered as he ejects his rifle's magazine.

He reaches into his pocket, picking up two armor piercing 5.56mm bullets.

He quickly loads them into the magazine and pulls the rifle's charging handle back before putting the magazine back in.

He carefully aims at the assailant's head and fires two shots.

One hits the assailant's mask, breaking it, while another hits its torso.

This time, the assailant flinches, giving Rufus enough strength to push the ripper away from him.

The assailant moves to its right as it inadvertently lets go of the ripper.

It loses its balance, prompting it to place it palms on the ground.

Rufus quickly stabs the assailant's torso with both hidden blades and pushes him to the side.

He quickly gets back up but his assailant stands up as well, unfazed by the damages to its body.

The two stare at one another for a moment.

"Oh… I see" Rufus said recognizing his assailant's disfigured face and black outfit "So this is where the Black Suits went after the war…"

His assailant cracks its knuckles before resuming its assault.

Rufus parries a left hook and dodges a right uppercut.

He attempts a counter with his left hidden blade but the sniper hits his gauntlet, causing him to flinch.

The Black Suit attacks again with a right hook.

Caught off-guard, Rufus narrowly redirects the fist with his left arm.

He responds with his own right hook, hitting the assailant's face.

His assailant hardly flinches as it counters with a kick.

Rufus blocks it with his left leg and stabs the assailant's stomach with his right blade several times before punching the assailant in the face once more.

This time, the force of the attacks cause the assailant to step back.

Rufus quickly grabs his revolver and reloads but is interrupted when the sniper, once again, narrowly misses him.

He ducks, continuing to reload, as the assailant recovers and punches the wanderer with a left hook.

He falls to the ground as the assailant prepares to crush him with its fists.

Alexander quickly opens fire, causing the assailant to cover its face.

Seconds later, the NCR general hears a click.

"Shit!" he shouts as the assailant charges towards him.

Alexander jumps back, dodging a right hook.

He quickly draws his M1911 and fires it while his left hand holds his rifle.

The assailant covers its face while walking closer to the general, who keeps on stepping back.

After 6 more shots, his pistol runs out of ammo too.

Seeing this, the assailant sprints towards him, eventually grabbing him by the neck.

It lifts Alexander up.

The general resists by kicking the assailant's face but it only causes its grip to tighten.

Rufus climbs on the assailant's back and stabs its shoulder with his right blade, prompting it to let go of the general.

It then grabs Rufus by his right arm and throws him to the ground.

It then lifts its right foot and attempts to stomp him.

Rufus grabs the foot with both hands.

Despite this, the assailant continues to apply more pressure on his foot, making harder for Rufus to keep it away from his torso.

Alexander quickly reloads his pistol and opens fire once more, prompting the assailant to cover its face.

This distraction gives Rufus enough room to push the foot back, causing the assailant to fall to the ground.

As it tries to get up, Rufus quickly jumps on top of it and thrusts his right blade towards its face.

The assailant grabs the right gauntlet with its left hand while preparing to punch Rufus with his right hand.

The wanderer quickly grabs the other hand as both fighters struggle to overpower the other.

Alexander quickly switches his M1911's ammo from standard to +P.

He carefully aims at the assailant's face.

As he was about to pull the trigger, a bullet hits him in the right shoulder, causing him to distort his aim and prematurely pull the trigger.

The bullet flies past Rufus' left hand and lands on the assailant's arm, just near the left shoulder.

The damage was minor but it caused the assailant to flinch a bit, enabling Rufus to overpower his foe.

With all his strength, Rufus drives his right blade into the assailant's face.

Seconds later, both its arms drop the ground. It was finally dead…

Meanwhile, Laura continues to struggle finding the sniper as it displaces after each shot.

"Where's that muzzle flash?" she muttered, scanning the cliffs.

She hears another gunshot, this time the bullet lands near her.

The Courier instinctively ducks as she hears another shot.

She then carefully peeks from the side of the rock. "Where are you…?"

Seeing a tree just a few meters ahead, the Courier breaks cover and runs for it.

She continues to stare at the cliffs as she hears another shot.

The bullet lands in between her feet before she jumps into the nearby tree.

"I'm onto your little hiding spot…" she muttered bringing out a Legion Denarius

She closes her and exhales before flipping the coin.

She grabs it while it was still in midair and quickly slams it onto her left arm.

"Heads" she uttered before breaking cover.

She aims her rifle towards the cliffs and begins to walk slowly forward.

A shot rings into her ears as a bullet flies past her left ear.

"Almost there…" she uttered adjusting her aim to the right

She hears another one. This time, she is hit in the right leg.

Ignoring the pain, Laura adjusts her aim slightly upward.

And another shot rings in her ears.

The bullet grazes the left side of her torso.

Laura adjusts her aim slightly to the left.

She stops walking and holds her breath.

"Jackpot" she utters pulling the trigger.

She continues to anxiously watch through her scope.

Seconds later, she spots a black figure uncloak.

"Bullseye" she uttered with a smirk

"Nice shot" Rufus said approaching the Courier

"Thanks. How's your companion?"

"I'm alive" Alexander replied "A .308 round isn't enough to take me down"

"Alright then… So what were these guys?"

"Black suits" Rufus answered "I always thought they were NCR experiments… But them being here explains a lot of things"

"So the NCR's been delving into mad science lately?"

"I wish it was that simple" Alexander responded "The Black suits are also hand-me-downs it seems…"

"From Vault-Tec, I presume?"

"Yep"

"Anyway" Rufus interjected "Judging by the fact that they tried to kill us in such a coordinated way, it means that Vault-Tec has something valuable here"

"But where?"

Rufus closes his eyes for a moment. "Can you still track the signal?"

Laura checks her Pipboy. "Yes. 94.03%"

"Hmm… Try to get that to at least 99%"

"I'll try"

Laura then begins making short steps forward, back, and sideways, eventually walking towards the cliffs.

"Here" she said stopping at the bottom of the cliff

Rufus walks closer.

He observes the area around the cliff. "Say. Do you think the natives won't mind if we destroy these cliffs?"

"I can explain it to them"

"Good. Anyone got explosives?"

"Not me"

"Negatory, chief" Alexander answered

Rufus then approaches the dead Black suit.

He loots the body for anything useful, eventually finding 3 hand grenades.

He walks back to the cliff and places the grenades. "Not enough…"

He turns to Laura. "By any chance you got a Nuka Cola quantum, tin can, turpentine, and abraxo cleaner on you?"

"Those are oddly specific…" Laura remarked checking her bag "… Yes I have them"

"Good. Give it here. Alex. Can you check my pack there should be a couple of lunchboxes there"

"On it" Alexander said complying "Here"

"Nice! Give me a few minutes"

"What are you making?" Laura asked

"Bombs… Hopefully they'll be strong enough to damage these cliffs"

* * *

**2117**

**Wyoming**

Upon returning to their helter, the teenagers quickly looked for their mentor.

As they run through the halls, the teenagers comes across several soldiers and commandos running past them, heading towards the hangar.

"Grandpa?" Ezekiel said, recognizing his grandfather's armor

Raven and his squad stop.

"You go ahead" Raven commanded as his squad continues running except for Jane

"What's going on, grandpa?"

"Nothing too serious. Don't worry, little man. We're just gonna check on the New York base"

"New York? That's pretty far… But aren't we kind of exposing ourselves with the number of vertibirds we're flying at the same time?"

"We got it handled. Didn't you have a mission?"

"Oh that's right! We need to report to the mentor! Have you seen her?"

"Yeah. She's in her office"

"Thanks, grandpa. You'll be back soon, right?"

"Yeah. This won't be long"

"Ok. See you later, grandpa!"

After waving goodbye, the teenagers continue their way towards their mentor.

"Let's hope you're right about this being short…" Jane said as she and Raven continue to the hangar

"I know…" Raven replied "But one thing's for sure; Oppenheim's getting desperate"

* * *

"Mentor" Helen said as they enter her office

"Ah" the mentor replied "You've all returned. Give me a report"

"Yes ma'am" Helen responded as they sit down and report their findings

"You wiped out an entire group of suspected raiders despite my orders specifically saying that you all are to conduct reconnaissance"

"Yes ma'am…"

The mentor sighs. "Ezekiel. Miguel. Must you two turn everything into a competition?"

"Sorry…" Ezekiel and Miguel said simultaneously

"Well I'll just have to carefully think about your punishment then"

"What?!"

"You think you'll get away with performing unauthorized acts under my watch? I don't think so"

**2312**

**Fort Covington, New York**

In another underground base, Audrey and her squad of Brotherhood of Steel Paladins, all wearing T-60 power armor, cock their weapons as their elevator descends to the lower levels.

"Alright" Audrey said "I want everyone to stay on high alert. This place may be a pre-war ruin, but there's no telling what's lurking inside. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" the paladins responded as the elevator stops.

The paladins raise their weapons as the elevator doors slowly open.

The squad leader steps out first, turning on her power armor's light.

They are greeted with what appears to be the aftermath of a battle.

Skeletons were strewed all over the place.

Some were lying, face down, on the ground.

Others were hanging on the makeshift barricades.

And quite a number were sitting down against the wall, many were still clenching their guns.

Audrey crouches and investigates the skeleton wearing a peculiar outfit.

It was a blue armored suit. The color was faded and dust covered almost every part of it.

What caught the squad leader's attention was a familiar logo on the back.

"Vault-Tec?" she muttered standing up "What are they doing here?"

After a few more minutes of investigating, the squad presses deeper into the facility.

Each room they come across being the same sight of makeshift barricades and skeletons scattered all over the area.

They soon reach a hangar.

Near a destroyed vertibird, Audrey notices several barricades lined up in what appears to be 2 planned defensive lines.

Near the wreckage were makeshift sandbags and office tables, acting as a tall makeshift cover, as well as 2 M60s still attached on top of the sandbags.

Behind them was simply a row of sandbags.

Judging from the numerous skeletons scattered in and around the barricade, it seemed that the occupants of this base made their last stand here.

Audrey and her squad approach the barricades.

She notices a skeleton still wearing something akin to a Chinese Stealth suit at the 2nd barricade.

The suit was faded and there were some tears and bullet holes around it.

Audrey got out of her power armor.

She then approached the skeleton, checking for anything interesting.

All she found was a patch bearing the skeleton's name: Kira.

As she turns around, Audrey notices distortions in the distance.

"Stealth Boys!" she shouts as the invisible enemies open fire on her squad.

The paladins return fire as Audrey quickly jumps into her power armor.

"Thermal vision!" she commands "5 hostiles! Dead ahead!"

The enemy soldiers scatter but none of them hid behind cover.

They simply stood there continuing to open fire on the paladins.

The paladins form up around the first set of barricades.

They were hitting their targets but their enemies were hardly flinching.

The enemy soldiers were also hardly damaging the paladins' power armor.

Just then, Audrey notices another hostile enter from the hallways, this one seems to be armed with a heavy weapon.

The enemy soldier fires his weapon, sending fireballs at the paladins.

"That's a heavy incinerator!" one of paladins shouted "That's Enclave tech!"

"Shit!" Audrey said as she opens fire on the enemy soldier "Focus fire on that hostile!"

The enemy soldier continue to lob fireballs at the paladins all the while walking closer to them.

"Grenade!" one of the paladins shouted as Audrey notice a grenade behind them

It detonates, causing the paladins' power armor to shut down.

"SHIT!" Audrey yelled "EMP!"

As the paladins struggle to get out of their power armor, the enemy soldiers uncloak and surround them.

The enemies were all wearing Hellfire Power Armor and armed with various automatic rifles.

"Been a while since we fought Brotherhood scum" one of the enemy soldiers said

"What do we do with them?" Another asked

"The same order we've had for the past 30 years… Execute them and take whatever they got"

As the enemy soldiers prepare to force the paladins out of their power armor, an invisible creature grab one of them and throws him across the room.

The enemy soldiers turn around as another one is grabbed and thrown.

They open fire on the invisible creature but seem to be missing.

Concurrently, a squad of Talon Company soldiers enters the fray.

"Engage! Engage!" Jack commanded as the enemy soldiers scatter and the paladins' power armor finally turns back on.

Audrey and her squad recover and proceeded to fire upon the enemy soldiers from behind.

The enemy soldiers quickly retreat further into the facility.

"After them!" Audrey commanded as her squad complies

"No!" Jack shouted "We gotta retreat!"

"What?! Why?"

"I'll explain later! Just trust me on this!"

"Damn it! Alright! Squad! We're pulling back!"

The paladins and Talon Company squads then retreat back to the elevators and ascends to the surface.

* * *

Jack quickly exits the elevator just as it was opening.

He approached a group of Talon Company soldiers, who are engaging several hostiles in power armor.

"Status?" he asked

"We're surrounded, sir!" one of his soldiers replied as a fireball hits a wall "They shot down our vertibirds!"

"Damn it, Jack!" Audrey said "What the hell is going on? Why are you here?!"

"Ah shit! Sorry old man. But I gotta kill a few of these guys!"

"What?"

"Hey Goris! You think you can help me out here?"

"Goris?"

A deathclaw suddenly uncloaks next to her.

Audrey shouts and aims her rifle.

Jack intervenes and pushes the rifle down. "Don't!"

"What?!" Audrey responded as her squad points their weapons at the deathclaw

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" the deathclaw responded as several more deathclaws uncloak behind the paladins

"Talking deathclaws?" one of the paladins uttered

"We don't have time for this!" Jack said "They're friendlies! Put your weapons down!"

After a few seconds, Audrey and her squad hesitantly comply as the deathclaws gather around Goris.

"You think you can handle them?" Jack asked

"We've faced worse" the deathclaw answered

"Ok then. Audrey! We are going to fight through these hostiles! I have a safe zone in place and I'll explain everything there! So until then, follow every single one of my orders to the letter! Understand me?"

Audrey hesitates.

"Audrey!" Jacks shouts "We have no time! Decide!"

"Ok! Alright!" she replied "What do we do?"

"On my mark, the deathclaws will cut a path for us! Just follow my lead!"

"Roger"

"Goris! When you're ready!"

"Try to keep up" the deathclaw said as he and his brethren gather near the doorway

"Go!" Jack shouted as the deathclaws run outside as the enemy soldiers began targeting them.

One deathclaw jumps high and lands on top of an enemy soldier.

With a loud roar, it slashes through the Hellfire Power Armor with ease.

Another few deathclaws ram their respective targets as each of them stabs their legs.

Goris, meanwhile, grabs another hostile by his mask and throws him at another hostile.

With the enemy lines broken, Jack and the others exit the building and started running straight towards the deathclaws, as the creature continue to decimate the enemy soldiers in their way.

They soon reach a dilapidated building with the enemy soldiers close behind.

"Don't stop!" Jack commanded as they continued running

Upon exiting the building, Jack detonates several planted explosives, causing parts of the building to collapse, forcing the enemy soldiers to stop their pursuit as their way is now blocked by debris.

Despite shaking their pursuers, Jack and the others continue their retreat, eventually reaching the old bakery.

"You go down first" Goris said "We shall keep an eye for any trespassers"

Jack nods as he leads paladins to the hidden elevator.

"Now then" Audrey said "Care to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

"Our mission here is not just to search for old Enclave data" Jack answered "We're here to recruit more people into the Union military"

"Recruit more people? What?"

"I was given another mission. I didn't understand what it meant at the time since I was told to recruit the local militia present in the area"

"Local militia? There aren't any settlements near this place!"

"Wrong. There are pockets of Enclave holdouts here"

"Enclave? But didn't Ellie find them all?"

"Not all of em… If my memory is right, based on the weapons and power armor of those hostiles, we just met what's left of Enclave Squad Sigma"


	14. Advance

**San Ysidro Battlefront**

**3:30pm**

**NCR Camp; Near Wolf Pack's Tent:**

Wolf Pack, minus Ellie, stands on top of a destroyed freeway, though this is a dead end as the road ahead had collapsed into the ground below.

"Damn" Owen remarked as he looks at the city with his binoculars "I never thought I'd see vegetation covering an entire city"

"I too find this to be quite amazing" Talon added "Of all the places I travelled, I had never seen such a city before…"

"Really now?" Marta responded "Where have you travelled?"

"I am not familiar with the names of the places I travelled. I hardly saw any human settlements in my travels"

"Since when have you started travelling anyway?"

"A few months ago"

"Care to describe the places you travelled to?"

Talon closes his eyes and rests his index finger and thumb on his chin. "Hmm… Well… the landscape was mostly ravaged though most of the time, snow covers the entire region. Also, I spotted several old world flags. It was colored red two times and white a single and a red leaf is placed in the middle of the white painted area"

"Canada? You've been to Canada?"

"I am unfamiliar with that name but given your knowledge of the old world, maybe so"

Marta squints her eyes before closing them. She exhales and crosses her arms, seemingly thinking about something but as she was about to say something, Ellie beats her to it. "Wolf Pack! Gather up!"

With nary a word, the members gather around her though Marta mutters "You got lucky".

"What's the word, boss?" Jonas asked

"The Legion's been pushed back to the pre-War Mexican border" Ellie replied while looking at her Pip-boy map "Seems this is a major base for them since scouts and aerial recon report a well-fortified encampment. With everything that's been happening, nobody could have been able to build such impressive fortifications in a short time while fending off enemies in the frontlines"

"So we're basically at the border of Legion Territory?" Vivian said

"Yes. If we manage to push through here, we'll be marching on Legion territory from here on out"

"Finally!" Owen said "So where's their capital?"

"The pre-War city of Ensenada" Ellie answered "But we're thinking too ahead. Our focus, for now, is to push the Legion out of New California"

"So what's the plan?" Marta asked

"Despite the bombs, the pre-War structure around the border are still completely intact. I won't mince words. It's a fortress. The numerous pre-War AA guns and anti-tank cannons on top of the walls will make short work of our forces if we just charge forward"

"Funny how the Legion is using 'modern tech' now" Owen remarked "Can't we just bomb it with mortars or something?"

"No place to position them. Terrain is too obstructive. It'll take a while to position them which we don't have time for. Our mortars are a better alternative but we need to get closer than where we are now"

"So what's the plan?" Jonas asked

"There's a small forward operating base positioned just close to the cannons' range. The terrain should be good enough to place our mortars and from there, we can start raining death on the fortress. Once the fortress defenses are weakened, we'll swoop in and take it"

"What time's the operation?"

"We'll move out in 3 hours. Be ready by then"

**7:00pm:**

Wolf Pack and a few Rangers move through the ruins of the old freeway, neutralizing Legion sentries in their way.

They soon stop at the end of the ruins as the rest of the freeway still stands above them. The target base is right next to it though the soldiers have to cross a small open area.

"Vivian" Ellie said over the radio "On your mark"

On top of a still intact freeway, Vivian and a few NCR snipers take aim.

"Copy that, commander" Vivian responded, aiming her Barrett at 2 Legion soldiers, one of which is standing behind the other.

The sniper holds her breath. "Taking the shot"

Seconds later, her bullet pierces through a Legionnaire's head and lands on his companion's chest.

The other snipers open fire as well, neutralizing the enemy soldiers in front of Wolf Pack as they charge forward, guns blazing.

Several more Legionnaires emerge from the tents and makeshift barracks. They return fire but are easily gunned down.

The base goes quiet but Wolf Pack stays doesn't move from their position by the base's entrance.

The base was silent though the sound of gunfire still echoed as the other NCR units continue battling Legionnaires in the other areas.

"What are we waiting for?" a Ranger asked "The base is clear"

Ellie peeks at the base. Only the dead Legionnaires are plainly visible. "Something's not right… Why is the base lightly defended? I'll take point. Freeway team, provide overwatch. Suggest using thermal scopes"

"Copy that" Vivian responded as Wolf Pack and the Rangers cautiously enter the camp.

"Marta. Vivian. Do you see anything?"

"Nothing on thermal" Vivian responded

"All's clear" Marta answered

As the squad nears the barracks, Talon suddenly turns to their right.

"Watch out!" he shouts as he turns his left arm into a shield

Almost immediately, enemy soldiers appeared literally out of nowhere and opened fire on the surrounded soldiers from the right, left, and front.

Talon blocks oncoming fire from the right as the rest return fire on the enemies on the left and front.

Ellie recognizes the advanced armor and gas masks of the enemy.

"Vault-Tec!" she shouts as one Ranger is shot in the lower left part of his torso

"We got the left!" the Ranger leader said "You guys handle the ones on the right and front!"

"Talon!" Ellie commanded "Shield the front! Jonas! I need explosives!"

"Roger!" Jonas said prepping his China Lake as Talon shifts his shield.

The second the right flank was exposed, Marta and Owen laid down heavy suppressive fire onto the enemy soldiers while Ellie kept the enemies on the barracks roof at bay.

Jonas quickly launches grenades on the right flank, decimating the enemy ranks.

Just as Wolf Pack turns their attention on the front, 2 enemies armed with missile launchers, emerge on top of the barracks.

"Missiles!" Ellie shouted as Wolf Pack neutralizes one

They quickly turn to the other but another enemy soldier shields his comrade.

The enemy soldier was about to launch a missile but a .50 caliber round drills through his skull.

"Target down" Vivian said over the radio as Jonas launches more grenades in front, damaging the barracks but neutralizing the enemy soldiers there.

The remaining enemy soldiers were quickly neutralized and the camp was eventually overrun by the NCR, who begin placing the mortars.

* * *

**An hour later:**

"This confirms it" Owen said inspecting one of the bodies of the enemy soldiers "These really are Vault-Tec soldiers"

"That explains their tactics" Jonas remarked

"But why didn't they appear on thermal?" Vivian wondered

"That's a good question" Marta added "No stealthboy or stealth suits can hide from my eyes…"

"These don't look like Chinese Stealth Suits though" Owen responded "These are exactly the enemy uniform we saw back in Washington"

"How about optical camouflage?" Ellie suggested

"Camouflage?" Marta wondered

"I remember the US military tried to create something as an answer to China's stealth suits"

"Wasn't that the stealthboys?"

"No. There was another project"

"So you think Vault-Tec has access to top secret pre-war research?" Vivian asked

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did"

"Still" Marta interjected "What's the difference?"

"Optical camouflage is different. Instead of projecting a stealth field, optical camouflage blends the uniform with the environment"

"But that still shouldn't have kept me and Vivian from seeing them"

"That's true…"

"Remind me again why we can't just strip these guys and analyze their equipment?" Owen asked

"We tried. Me and Vivian checked the equipment. All we found out is that these suits are more advanced than power armor. Other than that, all of the suits are too damaged to analyze further"

"Well…" Talon interjected "… At least we know that Vault-Tec is here and quite possibly aiding the Legion"

"Something isn't right here" Marta said "Why would Vault-Tec want to get involved here? What will they gain by exposing themselves like this?"

Ellie rests her chin on top of right index finger and thumb. "Now that you mention it… It doesn't make sense why they'd expose themselves…"

Talon turns to the Enclave commander as a NCR Ranger approaches her.

"Commander Neumann" he said "The mortars are ready. General Parker has ordered all units to mobilize"

"Right. Wolf Pack battle stations! We commence with Phase 2!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Wolf Pack and NCR Army units all gather at the very edges of their sectors, barely coming into ranger of the border fortress' cannons.

The sound of mortars echo as shells fly past them.

Ellie stares at the fortress' massive walls as the mortars neared their targets.

"What the fuck?!" she uttered as a red glow envelopes the walls

The mortars hit their mark but the walls still stood strong, looking exactly the same as it did seconds ago.

"How is that possible?!" Marta shouted

Ellie did not respond. She simply stood there and stared at the now ominously glowing red fortress.

* * *

**2117**

**Wyoming:**

Ezekiel and Miguel sit on a barren meadow on top of the cave leading to their shelter.

Sitting on stools, the 2 initiates play a game of old maid with Ezekiel having 2 cards, a Queen of Hearts and a King of Diamonds, left while Miguel still has 3.

"How much longer before we're done with guard duty?" Miguel asked as he dons a poker face before raising his hand

"Another hour" Ezekiel replied as he carefully selects a card from Miguel's hand, who had this sly look on his face "And stop complaining. It's your fault we got punished with guard duty in the first place"

Hovering his hand over the leftmost card, Ezekiel notices Miguel's eyes twitch for a split second.

With a confident smile, Ezekiel grabs the card. "Damn it!"

It was a joker card.

Miguel chuckles as Ezekiel shuffles his hand.

"You got one hell of a poker face" Ezekiel remarked as Miguel carefully selects a card

Ezekiel dons his best poker face as Miguel hovers his hand over the initiate's cards.

Miguel smirks as his hand stops just on top of the joker card.

Ezekiel squints his eyes.

"Well it's an acquired skill" Miguel replied as he suddenly takes the King of Diamonds, which was next to the joker

He smirks as he puts down a pair of Kings, Diamond and Spade. "One more pair"

Ezekiel grunts and shuffles his hand as his opponent chuckles. "Sly little bastard"

"In games like this I have to, don't I?"

Miguel hovers his hand over the rightmost card, which was the remaining Queen.

Ezekiel smirks and squints his eyes as Miguel prepares to grab the card.

"This is a joker, isn't it?" Miguel taunted with a smirk

"Maybe" Ezekiel replied with squint eyes and a confident tone

After a few minutes of staring, Miguel moves his hand over the other card. "This is the Queen, right?"

"Could be"

"Tch"

Miguel hesitates.

"Come on" Ezekiel said with a smirk "You only need to pick the right card so get on with it"

"I'm not gonna fall for your taunts"

After another few minutes of staring, Miguel finally takes the leftmost card. "Shit!"

Ezekiel laughs. "I told you all you had to do was take the right card"

"How was I supposed to know you meant it literally?! Still… Well played but it's your turn now"

Miguel shuffles his 2 cards before Ezekiel reaches out his hand.

Once again, the two don their best poker faces.

Ezekiel hovers his hand over the leftmost card.

Miguel doesn't react.

"Joker?" Ezekiel asked

"You think?"

Ezekiel then moves his hand to the right. "Maybe this one?"

"Come check it then"

Ezekiel swallows his spit as he continues staring at his opponent, who maintained the same poker face throughout.

"50-50 odds, eh…" he muttered as he switches his gaze on the two cards "I wonder if he's using the same trick he used a few minutes ago…"

With an exhale, the initiate grabs the left card.

"And that's the game" he said with a smirk before putting down a pair of Queens

Miguel chuckles. "Damn it… You got lucky, you bastard!"

"Well luck did play a part in it but I figured-"

Ezekiel stops speaking as the familiar sound of vertibirds echo from a distance.

The two initiates grab their guns and stare at the oncoming vertibirds.

"Grandpa's back" Ezekiel said

"That was fast…" Miguel responded "They were only gone a couple of hours"

"I wonder what they did this time"

"Hold on… Why is one of the vertibirds firing flares?"

"I don't see any missiles… Something's wrong…"

Ezekiel quickly bends down to grab the radio on the ground.

As he does that, a bullet flies behind his head.

The initiate quickly aims his rifle at the source of the shot but finds only the familiar post-war scenery.

"Miguel!" he said "You saw that?"

"Saw what?"

"Someone tried to shoot me. Almost got a headshot"

"I didn't hear anything"

"Stay alert then. They may have stealth boys and silenced guns"

"O-Ok"

As Miguel raises his rifle, a bullet lands on his left shoulder.

The initiate falls to the ground, clutching his shoulder.

"Miguel!"

The enemy fires a burst, prompting Ezekiel to go prone. "Miguel! Are you ok?!"

"Other than my shoulder feeling like shit, I'm ok"

"Miguel. Use my radio. Call an alert"

Ezekiel throws his radio to Miguel before running behind a large rock as the enemy fires upon him.

He scans the horizon but still only finds the post-war scenery, not a single enemy soldier in sight. But he hides once again when the enemy fires bursts on his position.

Desperate, Ezekiel grabs a flash bang and a pulse grenade. He estimates where the shots came from before throwing his flash bang first, followed by the pulse grenade.

The flash bang stuns the enemy soldiers while the EMP grenade causes several white uniformed assailants to suddenly appear.

Standing out like sore thumbs, Ezekiel was able to neutralize 5 soldiers before the rest hid behind whatever cover they could find.

As he continues to exchange fire with the enemy, Ezekiel hears the hangar doors open and the vertibirds all land on it, except for one.

A lone vertibird hovers above him and opens fire on the enemy soldiers. The soldiers inside then drop a rope and drop down.

"Grandpa!" Ezekiel said, recognizing the armor of one of the soldiers

"Ezekiel!" Raven responded "Evacuate the base!"

"What?"

"Get back to the base! We're evacuating!"

"R-Right!"

Ezekiel picks up Miguel and ran towards a hidden hatch. Miguel descends first as Ezekiel hesitates.

"Jane! Charles! Left side!" Raven commanded "Paul! They're using optic camo suits! Thermal is ineffective! Use pulse grenades!"

Ezekiel closes his eyes and finally gathers the courage to retreat. "Good luck, grandpa!"

* * *

**2312**

**San Ysidro Battlefront:**

Wolf Pack and General Parker gather near a vertibird as its propellers start spinning.

"You sure about this plan?" Parker asked

"It's worth a shot" Ellie replied as Wolf Pack enters the vertibird "Just be ready to move once that red glow disappears"

The aircraft lifts off but flies away from the fortress.

Upon reaching a pre-war mall, the vertibird stops and slowly ascends into the cloudy sky.

"Vivian" Ellie said as Vivian checks her Pip-boy

"20 miles out" she responded "Coordinate correction. Turn 30 degrees to the left and head straight"

After a few minutes, the vertibird reaches the map marker.

"Mark" Vivian said as the pilots stop the vertibird

Ellie then opens the sidedoors. "Ok. You all know the plan"

Everyone nods before activating their stealthboys and jumping out of the vertibird.

They quickly deploy their parachutes, slowly descending towards the glowing red fortress below.

The searchlights moved past them but the enemy did not detect them.

As they neared the fortress' roof, Ellie and Marian cut their parachutes, landing on top of two legionnaires.

Ellie quickly plunges her hidden blade on one while Marian breaks the other's neck just as the others land behind them.

"Everyone accounted for?" Ellie asked as the stealthboys wear off

Everyone nods as Marian and Vivian break off and rappel down the wall to a balcony.

Inside the fortress, the two sneak their way through the surprisingly intact hallways eventually reaching a locker room with 2 female legionnaires chatting inside.

"Since when did women start serving in the Legion?" Marian thought as she signals Vivian to hide behind the lockers

Marian peeks at the corner, seeing that the 2 soldiers have their sides facing the lockers. Their peripheral vision would surely detect them if they tried to sneak behind the legionnaires.

She looks at Vivian, who signals her to lure the enemy soldiers to them.

"Are you sure?" Marian signals back

Vivian nods, prompting Marian to knock on the locker door. The noise attracts the attention of the 2 soldiers, who slowly walk towards the lockers. Both Wolf Pac members lean against the lockers' edges.

Marian stares at the floor, seeing the shadows slowly getting longer.

Upon spotting a foot, Marian grabs the legionnaire and pins her to the floor before placing her left arm over the enemy soldier's neck.

As the other soldier attempts to draw her pistol, Vivian lunges from behind and places her right arm over the legionnaire's neck while her left arm is positioned over her wrist, forming a cross, and begins to pull.

Both legionnaires try to resist with one placing her hands over Marian's face while the other tries to pull Vivian's arms away.

Once the two finally lose consciousness, Marian and Vivian strip them of their clothes before hiding their bodies inside a locker.

Now disguised as legionnaires, the two soldiers casually walk through the hallway, eventually reaching the door to the command room.

"2 guards" Marian whispered

"Neutralize?" Vivian replied

"Yep"

The two continue to slowly walk to the door as the guards take notice.

"Halt" one of them said "State your business"

"Just came to report on our latest reconnaissance" Marian answered

"Reconnaissance? You scouts were supposed to have that reported to your commander! Do you not remember the rules?"

"Oh… um… I forgot… Sorry…"

"You forgot? Who are you? What is your unit? Who is your commander?"

"Well… I tried"

Marian sucker punches the guard on the left before grabbing the right guard's face.

Vivian draws her knife and slashes the left guard's throat while Marian breaks the right guard's neck.

Just as quickly, Marian searches the bodies, looting a keycard from one of them.

"Ready?" Marian whispered drawing her silenced World War 2 model M1911

Vivian nods before drawing her silenced Glock 18.

Marian swipes the keycard on the reader.

The second the doors open, Marian fires her pistol at the nearest guard, getting a headshot.

Vivian follows up with her own headshot on the adjacent guard.

Luckily, the door is in a corner of the room enabling the two to drag the bodies outside into it before closing the door.

With a nod, the two soldiers casually walk into the command room, firing upon anyone inside.

"Clear?" Marian asked

"Clear" Vivian replied s she checks on one of the terminals

"Commander" Marian reported over the radio "We're in the command room"

"Excellent" Ellie replied "Disable the enemy guns and find out what's causing the walls to be invulnerable"

"Stand by. Vivian's on a terminal"

"Roger that. Casualties?"

"I estimate about 20 dead but we did incapacitate 2 female legionnaires"

"Female legionnaires? That's new"

"I know. Makes me wonder who's leading the Legion now"

"Enemy guns disabled" Vivian said "Commander. The terminal says that a device called an 'Iron Curtain' is causing the red glow and invulnerability"

"Iron Curtain? Sounds pre-war. What is it?"

"Terminal doesn't say much but says here it was an old Soviet project. Seems like pre-war America managed to steal either blueprints or the real thing. Anyway, according to these entries, it emits a red electromagnetic field that makes anything it touches indestructible"

"Indestructible… Can we blow that thing up?"

"Yes. The device can't make itself invulnerable"

"Good. Where is it?"

"It's underground. Southeast of your position. I suggest moving to the Southeastern wall and rappel to the ground. You should find a door there that leads to the device"

"Roger! Everyone let's go!"

Ellie leads her team through the roof, covertly eliminating any guards in their way.

Upon reaching the southeastern point, Talon and Owen rappel down the wall while Ellie and Jonas cover them.

As Jonas was about to rappel down, Ellie feels the barrel of a 10mm pistol behind her back.

"Commander!" Jonas said as Ellie signals him to rappel down

Jonas obliges.

"Well. Well. Well" A familiar male voice said "I haven't seen you in a while"

"I heard you escaped" Ellie replied, slowly turning around "Johannes"

In front of her is the former rebel commander, wearing a brown trench coat, black gloves, and a bowler hat.

"Nice to see you too, 'doctor'. Or is it 'commander' now?"

"Heh. I find it ironic that an esteemed Enclave officer such as yourself is working with Vault-Tec"

"Vault-Tec? What makes you say that?"

"Don't play dumb. Vault-Tec attacked your prison. You're the only one that escaped or, at least, successfully escaped. Earlier today, my team engaged Vault-Tec soldiers. And now you're here. Too many coincidences, don't you think?"

"Cat's out of the bag, huh?"

"So all that shit you spouted at me was complete bullshit then"

Johannes shakes his head. "No. I still stand firm to what I said. Everything I've done and will do is for America!"

"For America? You're still holding on to the Enclave's image of the old world? Don't make me laugh! Working with Vault-Tec totally negates that purpose!"

"Eh… Not like I care what you think"

Ellie squints her eyes before quickly swatting Johannes' right arm to the side. She flicks her right wrist and thrusts it towards Johannes' lower torso.

The Vault-Tec agent smirks before sidestepping to the right. He grabs Ellie's left arm and twists it on her back before aiming his silenced 10mm pistol at her head.

Ellie ducks just as Johannes pulls the trigger and steps on his foot, causing him to recoil a bit. She breaks free from his arm lock and attempts to stab him with both hidden blades.

Johannes skillfully redirects Ellie's left arm away from him while parrying the right blade with his pistol.

He then knees her before whipping the back of her head with his pistol, causing her fall to the ground.

"Come on" Johannes taunted taking a few steps back "I no longer have the FEV in my system. Don't tell me you need to go berserk again just to even have a chance"

"Don't get cocky, bitch" Ellie replied picking herself up

"You should try a different tactic. I'm all too familiar with the Assassins' fighting style"

"Heh. You only know based on the ones you fought. You might be surprised to see that there's more to this fighting style than you think!"

"Hohoho. So you met the Assassins then? Khorosho"

"Huh?"

Johannes suddenly fires his pistol, hitting Ellie in the right shoulder but her wound quickly regenerates.

She then charges forward and notices, for a split second, Johannes flicking his left wrist causing a hidden blade to appear and pivot to the left.

He grabs the blade, brandishing it like a dagger, before parrying Ellie's attack.

"A hidden blade?!" Ellie said

"You think I wouldn't fight Assassins and not keep any of their old toys for me to practice and use?"

"Grr. You bastard!"

Ellie then charges forward once again. The two exchange blows but both easily parry each other's attacks. The two eventually end up in a deadlock, both managing to grab each other's arms.

As they struggle to gain the upper hand on the other, the ground suddenly shakes causing Johannes to lose his balance a bit.

Ellie takes the opportunity by kneeing Johannes before finishing it with a headbutt. Her adversary is blown back as the fortress' red glow disappears.

Almost immediately, NCR mortars begin hammering the fortress.

"I guess your friends are a bit more competent than I thought" Johannes said standing up

"It's over, Johannes"

"Over? The more things change, the more they stay the same it seems"

"What do you mean?!"

"You're still as naïve as ever. Mark my words! Tread carefully. You wouldn't want to end up as another person's pawn like last time!"

"Like hell I'm letting you get away!" Ellie shouted as she charges towards him

"You still have a lot to learn!"

Johannes then brings out a small metallic ball and throw it to the ground, creating a smokescreen.

Ellie is disoriented for a bit, allowing Johannes to escape.

As the smoke clears, Ellie stands there, bewildered, as the sound of gunfire and vertibirds echoes around her.

* * *

**2117**

**Wyoming Shelter; Near Vertibird Hangar**

**1 hour later:**

"Here comes another wave!" an Assassin shouted as he and the other defenders open fire on the assaulting Vault-Tec soldiers

Behind the defensive lines, Ezekiel and Miguel drag wounded comrades to Helen and the other medics, who are providing first aid before carrying the wounded to the evacuating vertibirds.

As Ezekiel lays a wounded man to a stretcher, he overhears his grandfather speaking on the radio. "Charles. Report!"

"We're pinned down on all sides! We can't reach Vaile!" Charles replied

"Damn! Can you fall back?"

"Negative! We're cut off and surrounded! Captain it looks-"

"NO! I AM NOT GONNA LET YOU FINISH THAT! I AM NOT GONNA LOSE ANOTHER SOLDIER! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Grandpa!" Ezekiel said as he, Miguel, and Helen approach Raven "I think we can help"

"Help? How?"

"The vents. We can go through the vents to bypass the enemy and reach the others"

Raven normalizes his breathing. "Good idea… Where can I enter?"

The 3 initiates guided Raven to a vent in the corner of the hangar.

"Ok" Raven said "You kids stay back. I'll take it from here"

"But grandpa!" Ezekiel replied "We want to help too!"

"Out of the question. Vault-Tec are a whole different kind of enemy! I can't risk having you 3 fight!"

"But…!"

"Sir" Helen interjected "If I may, the vents are like a labyrinth. Traversing them alone may take up valuable time and Zeke & Miguel have travelled through them before"

"You two went into the vents in the past?"

"Um…" Ezekiel said with a hint of awkwardness "…Yes"

Raven sighs. "I guess your rule breaking activities have its perks. Fine… Lead the way"

"Right!"

As the 4 were about to enter the vents, someone shouts "Ezekiel!"

"Mom?" Ezekiel responded turning around

"Ezekiel! Where are you going?"

"It's alright honey" Raven interjected "I'm with him. We don't have time so just have faith"

Ezekiel's mother ponders for a moment. "… Alright. I'll leave him in your care, dad"

Raven nods as the 4 continue into the vents.

* * *

A few minutes later, the 4 stop near a grate, below it is a hallway.

"We should be south of our allies' position" Miguel said

"Ok" Raven replied as he slowly opens the grate "Let me take point"

The commando drops down and cautiously looks both ways. "Clear"

The other drop down and follow Raven as he goes against the wall on the corner of the hallway.

Peeking through the corner, Raven spots an entire squad firing upon Charles' position.

"Charles. Do not open fire on your south. We'll take care of the enemy there" Raven said over the radio "Looks like we're in for a fight. You kids ready?"

"Sir" Helen replied "Allow me to do something"

"What is it?"

Helen then turns a knob in her left gauntlet and peeks at the corner.

She looks at every soldier carefully, most were armored save for one that appears to be wearing an officer's uniform.

Helen then breaks cover and aims her gauntlet at the enemy soldier before firing a dart that lands on his neck. She then hides behind the wall.

"What did you do?" Raven asked

The enemy soldier places his right palm at the back of his neck as he begins to breathe heavily.

Seconds later, he aims his rifle at another Vault-Tec soldier and fires. The enemy soldier is hit in the head.

Chaos erupts within the squad as the officer opens fires on his own men and despite being shot several times, was undeterred in his killing spree.

After the last enemy soldier is killed, Helen breaks cover and is spotted by the enemy officer.

He tries to shoot her but he had run out of ammo, prompting him to pick up his knife and charge towards the initiate.

Standing her ground, Helen flicks both wrists as her hidden blades pivot to the left, enabling her to wield them like daggers.

She parries the berserk man's attack with her right blade and slashes his left leg with her left.

Still undeterred, the man continues his assault.

Helen dodges several attacks before managing to stab his right arm and slashing his throat with her left blade.

The man chokes for a few seconds before finally falling to the ground, dead.

"That was amazing" Ezekiel said "Though I still don't understand why you love the pivot blade so much"

"Heh" Helen replied "We all have our style, Zeke"

"Enough chitchat" Raven said as they made their way to Charles

Upon reaching Charles' position, the 4 reinforced their position and engaged the Vault-Tec soldiers, eventually managing to repel the attackers for the time being.

"Thanks for the save" Charles said as he orders the other initiates to retreat

"Where's Vaile?" Raven asked

"In the meeting room"

"All of you retreat now. I'll go get Vaile"

"But Raven!"

"No buts! That's an order!"

"Alright… Come on! Let's go!"

Raven presses forward while the others retreat back to the hangar though Ezekiel looks back towards the direction his grandfather came…

He ponders for a moment and runs towards his grandfather, the others failed to notice him.

As he runs towards his grandfather, he encounters two Vault-Tec soldiers, who open fire on him.

The initiate instinctively hides behind a pillar and returns fire with his MP5k.

"I don't have time for this!" he shouted as he throws a smoke bomb at the enemy

The initiate then breaks cover and shoots both enemy soldiers in the head before proceeding with his objective.

He eventually reaches his grandfather, who is taking cover behind 2 overturned desks and is pinned down by enemies on both sides. He throws another smoke bomb and neutralizes the enemies behind Raven before running to his grandfather's side.

"Ezekiel?!" Raven said "What the fuck are you doing here!"

"I came to help, grandpa!"

"Goddamn it! Fine! Stay close!"

Raven then throws a flashbang before breaking cover and neutralizing the stunned enemies.

After another few minutes, they finally reach the meeting room. Inside, Bercisc Vaile is sitting on a chair situated at the center of the long table sipping wine. He was relaxed and looked as if he's reminiscing a memory though his right hand is closed into a fist while resting on the armrest.

"Vaile!" Raven called "We gotta go!"

"No" Vaile answered "This is it for me"

"What?"

"I've contributed all that I could. I have nothing more to offer"

"What are you talking about?"

"I've provided everything that I can provide. Now, I'm just dead weight"

"I'm not understanding your logic here! We don't have time! We gotta go!"

"Go without me. You already have everything I gave you. Facilities, supplies, intel… I can't provide any more. I don't want to be a burden any longer"

"Burden? But…!"

"Let an old man die on his own terms. I'm content knowing that I'm leaving this world in capable hands. I'll activate the shelter's self-destruct before they kill me so get out as fast as you can"

"Vaile… Are you sure about this?"

"… Yes"

"Over here!" a Vault-Tec soldier shouted from the hallway

"Godspeed, Vaile…" Raven said

"Grandpa!" Ezekiel said pointing to a nearby vent "We can escape through there!"

The two enter the vent as the Vault-Tec soldiers surround and aim their guns at the former CEO.

Raven stops for a moment and watches from the vents, Ezekiel does the same.

"So…" Vaile said "Is Oppenheim gonna talk to me or are you just going to kill me outright?"

Without a word, one of the soldiers hacks into a nearby terminal. He then connects the large screen inside the room to a communication link. Oppenheim appears on screen.

"Bercisc" Oppenheim said "It has been a long time… old friend"

"Alec… Came to watch me die?"

"You know me. I love to watch the executions of those who betrayed me. Still, I am quite curious. Why did you betray me? You had everything. Power, money…"

"The sins we've done and the destruction we've brought is unforgivable. All I did was make amends to those sins"

"Hahahaha! Ever the religious moron… It's blind beliefs like that which made the old world what it was"

"And you think you're not promoting the same kind blind belief?"

"I am different. I don't ask these people to believe in something abstract like an ideology or a fictional being. I simply ask them to believe in someone who has proven to give results"

"Hahaha… Your hypocrisy knows no bounds"

"Say what you will. Your words and that idiotic conviction you have will be grounded to dust just like what I did with Karl"

Alec chuckles as he opens his right hand, revealing a detonator. "Heh… You can't control everything, Alec"

"What?!"

Vaile presses the button and the shelter begins to shake as alarms blares all throughout the base.

"Time to go!" Raven said as he and Ezekiel quickly made their way back to the hangar.

Shortly after, the surviving defenders board the last vertibirds and fly away as the shelter self-destructs.

* * *

**2312**

**Hidden Vault-Tec Facility, Zion Canyon**

Inside what looks like a server room, Laura grabs a Vault-Tec scientist by the neck and pins him to the wall with enough force to cause him to cough.

Alarms are blaring throughout the facility as the Rufus and Alexander barricade the door.

"Now" Laura said pointing her Maria at the scientist's face "You are going to tell me what you did to the people of this area"

The scientist groans as Laura tightens her grip. "Not going to talk?"

"W-We were conducting experiments o-on white noise and hallucinogens!"

Laura tightens her grip even further. "Why?"

"I-It was ordered b-by Mr. Oppenheim"

"So Vault-Tec thinks they can use people as guinea pigs again"

"P-Please…! I-I told you everything I know!"

Laura then let's go of the man, who collapses to the floor coughing.

"Open the terminal" Laura commanded as she aims her gun at the scientist

He obliges. "Th-There! Please let me go"

"Thank you for your cooperation"

Laura then shoots the scientist point blank in the head.

"That's a little brutal, don't you think?" Rufus remarked as Laura checks the terminal

"Can't risk letting him live" Laura replied checking the files on the terminal

"Yeesh… You're pretty brutal… I thought New Vegas was supposed to have had it better than the other parts of the country"

"If you lived through the things I've experienced, you'd understand"

"Oh don't underestimate my ability to empathize with you"

"Wait. You might want to see this"

"Hmm?"

Laura leans back as Rufus checks the terminal.

"Son of a bitch…" he said upon reading the file.

* * *

Re: Battlefield report

Confirmed Legion retreat to Mexican Border. NCR forces have surrounded one side and have besieged the fortress. Only a matter of time before it falls.

Once it falls, NCR troops will most likely push into Mexico. Initiate cleansing operations upon their entry through the border. The Legion must not fall. Orders are to decimate both NCR and Legion ranks and make it appear to be a devastating battle between the two. Leave no survivors.


	15. Imminent Threat

**2312**

**Isla Coronado**

A lone Enclave vertibird flies across the small stretch of ocean, attempting to reach the island. Inside are the members of Wolf Pack, all heavily armed.

"So why are we heading to the island?" Owen asked "Didn't that holotape say that the base was attacked?"

"They were expecting an attack" Ellie answered "I want to see for myself what happened and find any clues if ever"

"What are we looking for?" Talon asked

"Terminals, holotapes, files, anything that can give us some clues about Raven's resistance"

"Commander" the vertibird pilot interjected "We're at the marker but there's no place to land. The landing pad is blocked by debris"

"Is there any other landing zone close by?"

"There is but it's on that other island over there"

"Copy. You land there and await my orders for extraction. Wolf Pack. We'll rappel down and investigate this hidden base"

As Wolf Pack rappels down, the squad finds the island to be just as barren as any pre-war ruin, though there's barely anything on the island save for piles of wreckage & debris and a single small shack near the remains of the landing pad.

Ellie signals her squad to cautiously move forward.

As they did, several small spider-like robots burst from the ground.

"Contact!" Ellie said as she fires on one robot, causing it to explode like a bomb

"Spider Mines!" Vivian shouted as she shoots one robot in its red 'eye', disabling it "Don't let them get close!"

"Are these things pre-war?" Marta asked "I never saw these things before"

"They are! I found them on a couple of pre-war military bases a couple of years back!"

"Right!" Owen shouted as more spider mines pop from the ground

Talon quickly morphs his left arm into a claw and proceeds to grab the robot and throws them at one another.

One spider mine latches onto the drifter's left arm.

"Get off!" he said shooting the robot in the 'eye' while another latches on his back.

Talon struggles to get the robot off of him as it was priming to explode.

Marta quickly pries the robot off of the drifter, tearing some parts of his jacket off, before throwing it to a group of spider mines, destroying them.

"Thank you" Talon said

Marta nods.

"Clear?" Ellie said as the shooting dies down

"Clear!" Jonas replied

"Clear!" Owen replied

Wolf Pack gathers around some of the destroyed bits of the robots.

"So with these pre-war robots around" Owen said kicking one "Does that mean that this base is intact?"

"Could be" Marta replied "But then this could also be Vault-Tec's leftovers"

"You got a point"

"Whatever the case" Ellie interjected "We can't let our guard down. Now let's move!"

The Enclave soldiers cautiously enter the small shack. There was nothing inside.

Ellie activates her eagle vision, seeing a hidden compartment in the floor as well as a small hole on a nearby wall.

She then inserts her hidden blade in the hole and winds it to the side, like a key, prompting the hidden door to open. The area below was very dark.

The Enclave commander turns on her rifle's flashlight and leads the way below.

"Vault-Tec did find this place…" Marta remarked, noticing several bullet holes, scorch marks, and bullet casings in the floor and walls.

"Keep your guard up" Ellie commanded as she hears a familiar pitter-patter "Spider mines!"

Several spider mines appear around the corner of the hallway as Wolf Pack open fire.

Seconds later, several humanoid robots emerge from the corner and began opening fire on Wolf Pack using their laser gatling.

"Assaultrons!" Marta shouted as she returns fire

Jonas loads a pulse grenade on his GP-25. "Fire in the hole!"

The grenade disables all the robots in the narrow hallway.

"Well…" Owen said "Vault-Tec or not… Someone left a lot of robots…"

"Regardless" Ellie replied reloading her rifle "We have a job to do. Owen take point"

"Roger"

Taking point, Owen leads Wolf Pack through the now empty narrow hallway, eventually leading to an electronically double door at the end.

Wolf Pack gathers on the door's sides as Vivian hacks it open.

As the door opens, the Enclave soldiers cautiously move inside, finding an empty shipyard.

"No ships…" Jonas remarked

"Not even a single wreckage" Marta added

"You think they managed to evacuate?" Vivian asked

"Check all the terminals" Ellie commanded as Wolf Pack splits up "See if there's any clues"

**Minutes later:**

"Any luck?" Ellie asked as Wolf Pack gathers around

"Nothing" Vivian reported "All terminals are destroyed…"

"No trace of any activity either" Marta added "Apart from scattered bullet casings and power cells, there's nothing here"

"Damn… Alright let's head to the command room and…"

Ellie suddenly cuts herself off.

"Commander?" Marta asked as she notices Ellie's eyes pointing at a steel beam hanging a few feet forward

Understanding her commander's signals, Marta points her M249 towards the beam and opens fire.

An invisible figure jumps down as his stealth field dissipates, revealing his hooded rags seemingly looking like several piece of cloth sewn together.

He stares at Wolf Pack before quickly running towards the electronic door on the other end.

"Get him!" Ellie commanded as Wolf Pack chases the figure "Non-lethal shots only! I need him alive!"

"Damn!" Marta said as the electronic door closes behind the figure

"I got this!" Vivian said as she connects her Pip-boy on the door's keypad

"How long, Vivian?" Ellie asked

"Give me a few minutes"

"Eyebots!" Owen shouted as several eyebots descend upon the squad

Wolf Pack returns fire as another swarm of Spider Mines emerges from several hidden compartments in the walls.

Marta and Ellie focus their fire on the spider mines while the others fire on the eyebots.

"Vivian!" Owen said as a spider mine latches onto his left arm

"Just a bit more…!" Vivian replied as Owen neutralizes the robot with his pistol

As fighting intensifies, the floor in front of the soldiers and a hidden elevator brings a sentry bot to the fray.

"Sentry Bot!" Ellie shouted as Wolf Pack dives to the nearest cover

The robot unloads its 5mm minigun on the soldiers, prompting them to go prone as the other robots quickly close the distance.

After a few seconds of continuous fire, the robot stops firing as spider mines begin swarming the soldiers.

Talon morphs his left arm into a claw before grabbing several spider mines and crushing them.

Marta, lying on her back, fires on the spider mines to her left.

Jonas switches to his 14mm pistol to shoot the small robots.

Owen brings out a Model 1886 shotgun to combat the swarming robots.

Vivian grabs her M9 Beretta as she attempts to fend off a ticking spider mine. Desperate, she unloads an entire magazine on the robot.

After its minigun cools, the sentry bot unloads once again on Wolf Pack.

"Talon!" Ellie shouted "Once that robot stops firing, you and me will rush it! Don't destroy it, just restrain it!"

Talon nods.

"Vivian! Once the sentry bot is vulnerable, I want you to hack into it!"

"Roger!" Vivian replied

After another few seconds, the sentry bot stops firing.

Instantly, Ellie and Talon jumps out of their respective covers and rushes the sentry bot.

Talon uses his left claw to grab the right minigun while Ellie pounces the robot, latching onto its back.

The sentry bot starts spinning and frantically moving around, trying to shake the two soldiers off.

Vivian then gets out of cover and quickly connects to the robot's mainframe as the remaining eyebots set their sights onto her.

Jonas and Owen quickly grab their rifles and open fire on the small robots.

After a short while, the sentry bot finally stops moving and its "eyes" change from red to green.

Ellie, Vivian, and Talon sit down to catch their breaths while Owen, Jonas, and Marta destroys the last spider mine and eyebot.

Momentarily safe, Wolf Pack gathers around the now friendly sentry bot.

"That was intense…" Owen remarked

"Any luck on the lock, Vivian?" Ellie asked

"The sentry bot interrupted me at a crucial time… I got locked out" Vivian answered

"Damn… We have no choice then"

"What's your plan? Jonas asked

"Everyone stay back! Vivian, command the sentry bot to destroy that door with its rockets"

Wolf Pack complies with their orders as the sentry bot targets the door.

The robot then raises its left missile launcher and fires a volley of rockets at the door, destroying it completely.

"Wolf Pack!" Ellie shouted as she and the others quickly move towards the now open hallway "Go! Go! Go!"

After fighting through the turret filled hallway, Wolf Pack reaches the hooded figure in the base's command room.

"Freeze!" Ellie shouted as the figure aims his pistol at them

"Vault-Tec!" the figure shouted in a raspy voice "You've already taken everything here! What else do you want?!"

"Calm down! We're not with Vault-Tec!"

"LIES!"

"I'm telling the truth"

"Not a step closer, trespasser! Your subtle movements won't go past me!"

"Just calm down. If you hate Vault-Tec then we have a common enemy. We can help each other here"

"Help? Help?! The last group of people who tried 'help' us, ended up selling us out! Why should I trust you?!"

"Wait if you were here before the Vault-Tec attack then…"

Ellie puts her rifle down before putting both hands up.

"Do you recognize these?"

The commander flicks both her wrists, prompting her hidden blades to reveal themselves.

"Hidden blades…" the figure said "You're an assassin?"

"Yes. See? You can trust us and-"

"Or you could be a Templar in disguise! Or worse, someone from Vault-Tec pretending to be an Assassin! You think just because you know what a hidden blade is, I'd immediately trust you?"

"Please be reasonable! We can talk about this!"

Meanwhile, Talon was starting to breathe heavily and he can feel his heart pounding so fast as his right hand start shaking uncontrollably.

As if driven by instinct, Talon grabs his Colt Python and quickly fires several shots towards the figure, hitting the right side of his torso.

"Talon!" Marta shouted as she grabs his right arm

Seeing that the situation could get worse, Ellie quickly tackled the figure to the ground before he could react.

"What the hell was that?!" Marta shouted "Nobody gave you an order to shoot!"

"I-I…" Talon replied "I didn't…"

"I need a stimpak!" Ellie shouted as Vivian runs to her side

* * *

**2118:**

**Vicinity of MacArthur Army Base, Utah**

Ezekiel, Helen, and Miguel crouch near a cliff overlooking a pre-war military base.

"We're in position" Ezekiel said over the radio

"Copy" Raven replied from the other line "Wait for the signal. Remember. You are NOT to engage unless it is absolutely necessary"

"I got it, grandpa. No need to coddle us"

"These aren't regular raiders or super mutants anymore. We're raiding a Vault-Tec position so keep your guard up"

"So uh…" Miguel said "What's the plan? Who needs to die this time?"

"Didn't you listen during the briefing?" Helen replied "We're not on an assassination mission"

"Oh… Haha… Sorry… Slipped my mind. I think I remember what we're supposed to do"

"Oh? What's that?"

"Uh… Um…"

"Geez, Miguel…"

"Zeke?" Miguel said as he taps Ezekiel's shoulder

"Huh? What?" Ezekiel responded

"You ok?"

"Y-Yeah I'm fine"

"You've been staring into space from time to time since Wyoming" Miguel added

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry guys"

"Zeke…" Helen said as the sound of gunfire echoes throughout the area

"That's our window" Ezekiel said as the 3 initiates all fire their rope darts to the nearest electric post

As the mechanism pulls them towards the post, the 3 initiates then fire the rope darts on their left gauntlets on the nearby guardhouse.

Upon reaching the guardhouse's roof, Ezekiel checks the map of the base with his PDA.

He then points to the roof of a building to their left.

The 3 stealthily move through the small open space, avoiding the responding Vault-Tec soldiers along the way.

Upon reaching the roof, the 3 find an opening in the ventilation shaft.

Using his hidden blade, Miguel slowly and quietly unscrews the vent covers.

Entering the facility, the sound of an alarm and shouting echoes through the vents.

Ezekiel leads the way with his PDA on his right hand as they navigate through the vent network.

Their path eventually leads them to a dead end with a vent opening below.

The three stop as they observe several Vault-Tec soldiers run under them.

As the voices begin to sound like long echoes, Ezekiel quietly lifts the vent opening before dropping down.

He lands on top of a Vault-Tec solider and quickly stabs him with his hidden blade.

Two other Vault-Tec soldiers emerge from the hallway in front of the initiate.

Helen quickly jumps down and neutralizes both soldiers with her silenced MP7

The three quickly drag the bodies to the nearest door in the hallway the enemy soldiers emerged from.

Inside, the initiates hide the bodies inside the lockers they found.

"How close are we?" Miguel asked

"Hold on" Ezekiel replied as he pulls out his PDA "It should be down the hall"

The initiates then carefully walk down the hall though there was not a single Vault-Tec soldier in sight.

Eventually, they reach a corner in the hall.

Ezekiel leans against the corner's edge and takes a peek, spotting a double door guarded by 5 Vault-Tec soldiers.

"5 tangos" he said

"Not a problem" Miguel said as he raises his silenced 10mm SMG

"Hold it" Helen said grabbing Miguel's shoulder "We can't risk making noise in here!"

"Oh come on! The base is already on high alert! What's the difference?"

"They'll know we're in here!"

"So?"

"So?! Miguel!"

"She's right, Miguel" Ezekiel interjected "We can't risk getting surrounded. I found a vent opening on their right. One of us can catch them by surprise"

"I'll do it" Helen replied as she brings out a silenced P226 before entering the nearest vent opening

"You two are on edge" Miguel remarked as he stands behind Ezekiel

"Aren't you? I mean what happened at Wyoming…"

"I know. I know. But I choose not to be bothered by it"

"Well… Not all of us can be as carefree as you, Miguel…"

"You gotta loosen up a bit, Zeke. You might lose yourself in the tense environment you embrace"

"I'll keep that in mind"

"I'm in position" Helen said over the radio

"Roger" Ezekiel answered "Move on my go. Miguel"

"I'm ready" Miguel replied

"Go!"

Ezekiel and Miguel burst from the corner and land headshots on 2 soldiers.

Helen then emerges from the vent and stabs one soldiers with her pivot blade. Firing her pistol with one hand, she lands 2 more headshots, neutralizing the enemy soldiers before they could react.

"Nice" Ezekiel said as he connects his PDA to the door's electronic lock

Seconds later, the door opens and the initiates quickly storm a computer room, catching the few unarmed Vault-Tec employees unaware.

"All of you in the corner!" Helen shouted as Ezekiel accesses one of the terminals

"Downloading…" he said "… Got it"

"You got the location?" Miguel asked

"Yeah. It's underground. We can reach it through the elevator over there"

"Alright. So what do we do with these guys?"

Ezekiel looks at his silenced MP5k for a bit before approaching the Vault-Tec employees.

He aims his left gauntlet at them.

"Oh that" Miguel said as he and Helen follow Ezekiel's lead

They each fire sleep darts at the employees before proceeding to the elevator.

"So how far is the target?" Miguel asked

"Not too far" Ezekiel replied as the three initiates all position to the side of the elevator door before it opens

"What?" a Vault-Tec trooper said "I thought the intruders were still by the courtyard?"

The Vault-Tec troopers then enter the elevator, prompting the initiates to quickly grab each of them and quietly neutralize them with their hidden blades.

The initiates quickly move through the hallway, quietly neutralizing all enemy soldiers in their way, eventually reaching their target, located inside what appears to be a storage area.

"So…" Miguel said as the three stare at a vault door "… Do we blow the door up?"

"Yep" Ezekiel said as he plants thermite on the door

The explosive makes short work of the door, allowing the initiates to enter the room, finding a small device placed on a table in the middle of the room.

The device is small and has a circular center surrounded by three pillar-like attachments.

"This is it" Ezekiel said picking up the device

"What is it?" Miguel asked

"A prototype Lazarus shield"

"Lazarus shield?"

"The US's answer to China's stealth tech"

* * *

**Fort Covington, New York**

**2312**

**5pm:**

In their underground base, Jack, Goris, and Audrey look at a holographic map of the area.

"So" Audrey asked "What's the plan?"

"We've tried proposing negotiations with them but no response" Jack replied

"Well no shit. These guys are never the negotiating type"

"I do not understand your fascination with these curs" Goris interjected

"It's not really a fascination but more of a necessity"

"Yes. You told me as such, Jack. But I still do not believe that these people can be reasoned with"

"They are. Don't worry. They just need some persuasion"

"And what kind of persuasion do you have in mind?" Audrey asked

"The quickest way to a man's heart is his stomach. These remnants may be fractured but they still act like a military force which means they have a storage area where the store all their food and supplies"

"Do you even know where these storages are?"

"Goris"

"For the past few months" Goris continued "We have observed these soldiers hauling large crates from a bunker located just outside of the town"

"So the bunker's the target?"

"Right you are" Jack replied "We'll strike at around 9pm"

* * *

**6pm:**

Inside one of the open areas in the base, Jack lights a cigarette as Audrey approaches him.

"Well. Well." Jack said "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Care to explain to me what's the deal with the deathclaws?" Audrey asked

"They're all former Enclave experiments"

"Experiments?"

"Yeah. Turns out, once upon a time, the Enclave tried creating a smart deathclaw army to add to their ranks. They succeeded but their success was too much, it seems. The deathclaws were smart. Too smart for their own good"

"So the deathclaws turned against their masters?"

"No. The deathclaws became smart enough to have a conscience. To the point that many of them became pacifists. And what kind of army employs pacifists?"

"The Enclave had them killed, didn't they?"

"You got it. Decades ago, there was this genocide and a lot of them died. Though Goris and a few others managed to escape the carnage, thanks to some wanderer Goris encountered in his travels"

"Do they hate the Enclave?"

"Seems so"

"Then why is Goris supportive of this plan to negotiate with them?"

Jack then puffs a smoke. "It been decades since the Enclave's fall. Things change. People, or well… uh… deathclaws, change"

"Time can heal wounds but not those kinds of wounds"

"Haha… Maybe for you Brotherhood folk, it's hard to let go of a grudge. Look at the NCR now. Ellie managed to create and operate an Enclave cell in their territory. I think you should know how the NCR 'tolerates' anything Enclave"

"Yeah…"

"So why do you think the NCR tolerates the Enclave now?"

"That's… uh…"

"It's because they both agree that there's a much bigger problem to worry about than each other. That cooperating now is more beneficial than sticking to old grudges. And, believe it or not, time does heal wounds"

"So Goris believes that negotiating with the very organization that nearly killed his entire race is more beneficial?"

"In a way. They understand that there's a bigger foe we have to fight. This is no time for personal grudges"

"I kind of get what you're saying but… it's still weird how quick Goris is willing to set aside grudges"

"It is not really that simple" Goris interjected "We have not forgotten nor forgiven the Enclave for what they did. However, the ones who offended us are long dead and all that remains are the littles ones that inherited the sins of their parents. It would be unfair to hold them accountable for the sins of their kin. Otherwise, we will be hypocrites"

"Why?"

"Because if we were to make them pay for the sins of their kin then that also justifies the genocide of my people. How many humans have died because of feral deathclaws? They may not have our intelligence but they are still kin to us"

"Hmm… Makes sense…"

"You do not have to force yourself to understand. Just know that my people are willing to cooperate"

"Alright…"

**9pm:**

Inside an old restaurant, Audrey scouts the bunker using her binoculars while the Jack and Goris crouch behind her.

"2 hostiles outside" she remarked "Though they're only wearing standard combat armor, no power armor"

"They're making this too easy" Jack replied

"These humans have encountered very few groups that could challenge them" Goris added "It seems they have become complacent"

"Well… Good thing we're not here to kill every last one of them. Let's go fellas!"

Jack and Goris lead a small team of Talon Company soldiers and Deathclaws while Audrey and her Power Armored Brotherhood squad follows behind them.

As they got closer, Audrey and her squad hides behind some rubble in the darkness while the others use their stealth boys while still creeping closer to the enemy guards.

Audrey brings out her binoculars and focuses her gaze on the two guards.

They seem to have noticed something as they both have their weapons raised.

They both turn their flashlights on and scour the area around them. They find nothing.

Suddenly, two Deathclaws uncloak and quickly grab both guards by their throats, proceeding to choke them.

Meanwhile, the others run towards the door.

Audrey and her squad follow suit as the 2 deathclaws knock out both guards. One of them places it by the wall while the other drags the other guard near the door.

The 2 deathclaws cloak once more as Jack knocks on the door loudly. The Deathclaw then holds the unconscious guard up like a life size action figure.

The red light on the camera by the door lights up and focuses on the guard.

As the door slowly opens, Jack and a few Talon Company soldiers quickly enter and overpower the guards inside the security room nearby.

Commandeering the camera, Jack signals the rest that the entrance is clear.

Upon entering the bunker, Jack and his squad move further into the facility while Goris and Audrey's squads stay behind to guard the entrance.

Still cloaked, the squad encounters 3 uniformed Enclave soldiers in the hallway. They were smoking by an open door, leading towards a break room where 2 other Enclave soldiers are sitting.

Jack and his squad quietly enter the room. 2 of his men uncloak behind the two Enclave soldiers and poke the barrels of their rifles behind their heads.

Jack and the rest then move towards the smoking soldiers.

One lets out a puff but notices the smoke dissipate, as if it had hit a wall, even though there was nothing there.

Jack then uncloaks and, using his left hand, grabs the soldier by his face and slams him to the wall while the rest of the squad grabs the 2 other soldiers and chokes them until they are knocked unconscious.

"Hey!" a voice echoed through a corner in the hallway "Someone trip again? You guys better not be drinking the alcohol again!"

As the Enclave soldier turns the corner, he is immediately greeted by several rifle barrels.

Jack gestures the soldier to be quiet.

The soldier quietly drops his gun before raising both hands.

"Gather them all by the break room" Jack commanded as he proceeds down the hallway alone

He activates his stealth boy once again as he enters the only door at the end of the hallway.

Upon entering, he finds a somewhat large open room though judging from the few collapsed hallways, this the last room of the bunker and has seemingly been converted into a makeshift storage facility.

He finds a lone guard inside.

Jack quickly walks right up to the soldier and uncloaks as he turns around.

"Hi" Jack said as he sucker punches the guard before hitting him at the back of his head with the butt of his rifle

As the guard drops to the ground, Jack notices several weapon crates alongside the food crates. "Well. Well. This turned out to be way better than I thought. Now… Let's see how reasonable these people are"

* * *

**2118**

**Walla Walla, Washington State**

**Underground Assassin Bureau:**

"Where are you off to, Ezekiel?" an Assassin guard asked as the initiate walks towards the bureau's vault-like door

"Just going for a walk" Ezekiel answered

"Kind of risky walking out in the open considering Vault-Tec's hunting us"

"I know but I won't wonder too far from the base. I'll stay hidden"

"Do you have the Mentor's permission?"

"Yeah. You can ask her if you want"

"Alright hold on"

The guard then picks up a phone. "Mentor. Ezekiel is attempting to get outside… Yes… Understood. Alright. You're all clear. Don't lure any undesirables near the bureau now"

"Don't worry. I won't"

"I hope so"

The guard then flips a switch, prompting the door to open.

Ezekiel walks up a short tunnel before being greeted by a snowstorm ravaged wasteland.

"Not like I can get far even if I wanted to…" Ezekiel thought as he settles near the tunnel's entrance

He lights a cigarette and stares at the wasteland outside, though there's barely anything to see.

After a few minutes, the initiates notices, from the corner of his eye, Miguel and Helen walking towards him.

"Hey Zeke!" Helen called

"What are you two doing here?" Ezekiel replied

"Came to say hi" Miguel answered as the two sit close to the initiate

"How's the Lazarus shield?"

"The engineers are starting to mass produce it" Helen answered "The prototype we got is being used to cloak this base right now"

"That's good"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing really… Just wondering how Vault-Tec found us in Wyoming"

"What about Wyoming?"

"Our base was well hidden. Even if we factor the raiders me and Miguel killed, Vault-Tec shouldn't have been able to find us so quickly"

"That is true… You suspect something's up?"

"Maybe… Hey Miguel. Anything odd happened before the Seattle base was attacked?"

"Nothing really" Miguel replied "It was just your typical quiet day. No patrols, no suspicious activity, no nothing"

"Odd… Something's not adding up"

"Got any theories?"

"Nothing solid… Just a gut feeling"

"Of what?"

"Nah… Nevermind. I don't think I can go with just a gut feeling"

"What do you mean?" Helen asked

"Don't mind it. Just me thinking out loud" Ezekiel replied as he drops his cigarette and crushes it with his boot "Anyhow, wanna race around the parkour courses?"

"You think you can keep up?" Miguel responded with a chuckle

"Tough words coming from someone who crashed and burned last time"

"Ha! That was just a fluke!"

"The usual wager?"

"You're on!"

Helen sighs. "Oh you two…"

* * *

**2312:**

**Sorrow's Camp, Zion Canyon**

Hijacking a Vault-Tec vertibird, Rufus, Laura, and Alexander return to the camp.

The sight of the vertibird caused the natives to man their battlestations.

Seeing this, Laura opens the vertibird's side doors and waves her left arm towards the natives below.

They quickly recognize their savior and stand down as the vertibird finds a landing zone.

As a few natives run to meet with the 3 as Rufus and Laura help a few natives down the vertibird.

"Make sure to have a healer check on them" Laura said as the natives are led towards the healer

"These are our missing brothers and sisters" another native said "Thank you, guardian"

"I need to see Chief Waking Cloud"

"Yes. Of course. Right this way"

The native then leads the 3 towards the chief's tent.

"Ah guardian" Waking Cloud said as she pulls herself up using her cane "We were worried you were lost in the mist"

"I've been through so much, chief" Laura replied "It'll take more than a mist to kill me"

"True. Judging from the mist's disappearance, can I assume that you are successful in destroying its source?"

"Yes. Your people will not have to worry about anything anymore"

"Once again, the people of Zion Canyon are indebted to you, great guardian"

"It is my pleasure to help, chief"

"Excuse me for butting in" Rufus interjected "But we have to get back to NCR territory soon"

"YOU have to get back" Laura responded "I'm going back to New Vegas"

"You still don't want to help us?"

"That note in the terminal is the NCR's problem. New Vegas has no connection to your war with the Legion"

"It will be once Vault-Tec gets what they want with the two armies!"

"Then I'll be ready for them"

"You think you and an independent settlement can take on Vault-Tec alone?"

"Rufus, that's enough" Alexander said grabbing the Wanderer's shoulder "Laura. At the very least, let us take you back to New Vegas. Maybe you'll change your mind on the way back"

"Fine… Will your tribe be able to handle things from here, chief?"

"Yes" the chief answered "Go now. We will be able to rebuild from here. Thank you again, guardian. And also to you General Alexander and your friend"

The three then board the vertibird and proceeded to leave the canyon.

As the side doors close, Rufus turns to Laura.

"Why aren't you willing to cooperate with the NCR?" he asked

"You never grew up around the New California area, didn't you?" Laura answered "The NCR started out as a small settlement, one of a few at the time. Wanna know how they grew? By sabotaging other settlements and using underhanded tactics to forcibly have other settlements join them"

"Nothing new to me. A lot of settlements I encountered in the East Coast did this. Your point?"

"Oh? The East Coast has an ever growing settlement that's constantly forcing other settlements to bend the knee because they have something that this growing settlement wants?"

"Well…"

"No. Last I checked, the closest the East Coast was to experiencing that was the NCR invasion itself. So you're in no position to be sassy with me"

"So you don't want to help because the NCR has been scummy in the past? You saw it yourself, didn't you? There's a bigger enemy out there that even the NCR can't handle. How much more for you?"

"Decades ago, I managed to singlehandedly aid the NCR in their endeavors and later on, drive their whole army out of the Mojave. I'll find a way. I always find a way"

Laura then feels her left eye with her left hand, as if reminiscing something.

* * *

**Isla Coronado**

Wolf Pack exits the underground base with Marian holding the injured and unconscious figure up.

"Hunter" Ellie called over the radio "This is Eagle actual. We're ready for extraction"

"Copy, commander" the vertibird pilot replied "Enroute"

"Talon. You go first"

"M-Me?" Talon replied, confused

"Yes. I'm gonna have to separate you from our little friend there especially after everything that happened"

"I…"

The vertibird then arrives and drops a ladder.

"Marta" Ellie said "You first. Owen. Help her get him up"

"Roger" Owen replied as he helped Marta carry the injured figure up the ladder

"Vivian. Jonas. You're both next. Talon. You go up after me"

The remaining Wolf Pack members all nod as they comply with Ellie's orders.

Inside the vertibird, Ellie turns to Talon.

"So" she said "Care to explain to me what happened there?"

"I…" Talon replied "I do not know… I just felt compelled to shoot him"

"Doesn't sound convincing. Are you hiding anything?"

"No! I am not! It is just… It is hard to explain"

"Well then describe to me what you felt"

"I… I started feeling threatened. As if something inside of me was compelling me to attack him. That it would take that feeling of danger away… It feels irrational but…"

Ellie squints her eyes. "Ok. I've heard enough. I think you need to calm down a bit before I hear more of this story"

"Commander" the pilot called "There's something odd happening in the horizon"

"What do you mean?"

Ellie then opens one of the vertibird's side doors and looks forward.

All that she sees is a thick fog enveloping the destroyed pre-War city of Tijuana.

"Can you still contact the NCR forces stationed there?" she asked

"Yes, commander. They're saying they're all fine"

A few minutes later, General Parker meets up with Wolf Pack as their vertibird lands on the makeshift helipad.

"General" Ellie said "What happened? This place isn't supposed have fog"

"Your guess is as good as mine" Parker replied "The fog suddenly rolled in while you guys were gone. I'd chalk it up to weather anomaly or something like that. Besides, it's just a fog. The Legion would most likely use it to their advantage but they won't beat us if they keep on resorting to hit-and-run tactics"

"I hope you're right, general. Marta. Get that man to a triage tent. The rest of you, get back to the barracks"

**Later:**

**Triage Tent**

"How is he?" Ellie asked

"He's stable" the NCR medic replied "But he needs to rest a bit more. He's lucky to be alive"

"Damn it… Will he gain consciousness soon?"

"He should but I don't know when it will happen"

"How about Talon's psychological tests?"

"We did the best we could with the pre-War psychological tests we have. Talon seems to pass all of them but the way he described the incident… It seemed like a psychotic break or a reaction to a trauma. Well according to the books at least"

"So he's still fit for combat?"

"He is. Seems like whatever triggered his uh… reaction, it has something to do with this man. So my advice is to keep him away from this guy"

"Alright… Thanks"

As Ellie exits the tent, she hears a familiar voice calling her. "Ellie"

The Enclave Commander turns to her right. Her eyes widen the second she does. "No…"

Ellie shakes her head in disbelief as she sees a man wearing a familiar hooded trench coat.

"Gerard?" she muttered as she could feel her heart beat faster

"Hi Ellie" Gerard said with a smile "Long time, no see"


End file.
